Gardens of Fanshawe College Blog

Friday April 3rd,

Our day began with tending to the rejuvenation and reduction pruning of the Tatarian Dogwood (Cornus alba) along the path behind K Building. Rejuvenation pruning is simply removing 1/3 or more of the old woody stems to allow for vigorous new growth, and these dogwoods respond well to this - sending up copious amounts of brightly coloured red stems. Reduction pruning is removing some of the length of a stem to encourage lateral growth. After piling up the cut stems in the RTV, we fluffed up the leaf mulch around the shrubs to make it look as though we were never there…and then it was on to the H-M-F Loop.

The Fallopia needed our attention here as the heavy winter snows splayed and crushed its hollow stems. After cutting the stems down to the ground, we moved on to some shrubs that required structural pruning. Structural pruning is all about maintaining the natural form of a shrub whether it is tiered, open, vase, weeping or other. In this instance, we were pruning out suckers and water sprouts from shrubs such as Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum) which not only look unsightly but also take energy away from the rest of the plant. We then focused our secateurs directly on the Sunspot Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) which needed a serious haircut. These shrubs can become quite unruly and just need a good prune to keep them in check. With the time to go home nigh, we cleaned up our plant debris and tools and retired for the day.

Saturday April 4th,

Saturday saw us return to the H-M-F Loop and M Building to continue pruning and cleaning-up. Again we engaged in some structural pruning, this time of Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). These shrubs are known for their open-vase to upright forms however the numerous water sprouts were rendering these forms obsolete. The Willowleaf Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius) was next on our list. Much like Sunspot Euonymus, Cotoneaster can get out of hand rather rapidly so it was our task to get it under control. After cleaning-up we moved on to a lovely Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika) in need of some t.l.c suffering from winter damage. Serbian Spruce are elegant evergreens with spire-like forms and boughs that sweep gracefully to the ground - which can unfortunately result in winter damage from heavy snow loads and over-zealous snow removal. With this done, we pruned a few more shrubs for winter damage and suckering growth and then moved on to the Woodland Garden.

Our arrival saw us cutting down and cleaning up some long done perennials from the past season such as Stonecrop (Sedum), Yarrow (Achillea) and Foxglove (Digitalis). We then tied some grasses to ready them for the power shears on Sunday - tying some grasses such as Miscanthus prior to shearing allows for increased efficiency and an easier clean-up. After jacking (removing) some tree stakes and sweeping-up, we cleaned our tools and called it a day.

Sunday April 5th,

Most awoke to a veritable winter wonderland on Sunday and unfortunately conditions did not discernibly improve as the day wore on…nonetheless there was work to be done. We returned to the Woodland Garden to shear and shape the grasses that we had tied the previous day. After a quick clean-up, we laid a tarp along the Alpine Currant (Ribes alpinum) hedge in order to contain the wet, soggy leaves that we were about to dislodge with the power blower. Sometimes leaves become trapped in the stems at the base of shrubs and become very difficult to remove - a great solution is to use a power blower to do the job.

Even though this process entailed three trips to the compound to dump debris in the compost piles, the end result was fabulous! With this done it was time for a well-deserved lunch break. Our return to work saw us back at the H-M-F Loop to shear and shape more ornamental grasses. Though it was sloppy and wet, the process went relatively quickly - ending with piling the debris in the RTV and a thorough power blow of the sidewalks. After a final visit to the compound to dump plant material it was time to clean, clean, clean! First all the tools received a good wash and then the RTV…which was pretty filthy. With our paper work filled out and everything in its place it was time to bid adieu to our weekend practical at the Gardens of Fanshawe College.

By: Sharri Honsberger