Maintenance Weekend Duty

By: Felix and Rob

Thursday April 11th 2018

As the sound of birds chirping and the refreshing smell of the rain drifts by our noses. We begin to admire and realize that our plants on Fanshawe College require our attention. It is mid-spring, and as we prepare for a new season of prosperous growth, we start to notice our campus blooms and shrubs need the utmost care to provide the beautiful flowers for the

season. To keep the plants flourishing for the upcoming seasons regular maintenance such as pruning is essential. Plants that generally require pruning are perennials, small trees, shrubs, and certain specimens. That may require pruning of non-living branches and twigs to the point of origin.

 Also the ability to identify some of the plants that one may have in their garden can play a significant role on the time of year to prune. Certain plants require different seasons for optimal pruning times. For example, here on campus we have Euonymus, viburnum, hydrangeas that need to be pruned back in order to exhibit new healthy growth and to ensure that we don't kill the buds at the wrong time. 

Aside from plant health care, we also have to take in consideration the location of the plant and if it is becoming a hazard or obstructing a desired view from a window. Some important things to keep in mind when pruning is to be confident in the cuts you make and respect the growing habit and form of the plant. The best way to determine if a branch or twig need to be removed or cut out is if the stem or bark is dying or diseased. Peeling back the bark with secateurs or hand pruners can also reveal whether the part still has green growth or  is hollowed out.

With many plants and tasks, breaking it down into steps can help us efficiently manage  time to thin out and remove interfering branches from the Hydrangeas and Viburnums to allow air movement and light towards the center of the crown. For the hydrangeas looking down the tips of the stems you can see where the old wood has stopped spreading. This is where you will make your cut above the node where new growth or buds have begun to form.

Saturday April 13^th 2019

The day greeted us with much more favourable weather relative to Thursday with its winter-like temperatures and strong winds. After performing a circle check on the RTV, and gathering the required tools and equipment; we set to continue the task of pruning the ornamental plants around Merlin house. We continued where we left off from the previous day; starting with thinning out the juniper shrubs on the south side of the residence. Those particular shrubs were crowded to a great degree which may have developed into a potential issue with air circulation through the plant as well as significantly reduced light reaching the lower foliage. We continued moving along the south side of the building removing dead wood and interfering branches from the Hydrangea paniculata shrubs as well as cutting them back to promote new flower growth. 

Once this was accomplished Felix and I focused on pruning the specific plants assigned to us. The plant I was charged with was: Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' or Diablo Ninebark which is a moderately sized deciduous shrub. This hearty shrub was in want of pruning due to many dead and interfering branches, and was cleared of many basal shoots that sprouted from the center of the plant. The warming weather and task of pruning reminded us that we were in the middle of spring; one of the great examples of change and rejuvenation. This ancient cycle greatly precedes us and may outlast us; we can only currently be stewards of nature’s transitory change.

Sunday April 14th 2019

Cool rainy winds continue to sweep across our gardens in Fanshawe College providing our plants with water, which is an essential component for life and new growth. Our third day of maintenance was coming to an end, but there was plenty left to prune around the perimeter of our gardens and the rainy weather was not going to deter us from our mission. By making sure that our pruners were sanitized and in good working condition we prevent the tear of branches and ensure swift and accurate cuts. Today we decided to take another approach on a different set of shrubs located on the side of E building. 

There were a few Dwarf Korean Lilacs that needed a fair amount of pruning on dead wood and many suckers that were growing at the base of the plant. With these specific shrubs we found the best way to prune the stems thoroughly and to avoid confusion with all the scrambling branches was to start at the base and work on individual segments of branches. Starting at the bottom helped us find suckers that were becoming huge stems causing congestion and lack of air movement throughout the center of the plant. Cutting back to the point of origin on some of these interfering branches and suckers insures that the plants focus their energy towards growth on the desired structure of branches and stems. Finally, as all the shrubs assigned were successfully pruned of dead wood we finished the day by reviewing all our work and paying close attention to detail. We were able to spot many more twigs and branches to prune out and we continued removing anything that seemed like it would obstruct maintenance workers when performing maintenance on the lawn. Following these simple guidelines and educating yourselves  on the plant you are  pruning will benefit you significantly when deciding what should and needs to be pruned. Your gardens will also need the maintenance care they deserve to provide you with magnificent and stunning new growth.