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Alternating Canes Favors New Growth

Pruning should stimulate vigorous new growth.

Dormant pruning happens during winter for one primary reason; dormancy. For the same reason, most alternating canes pruning should happen during winter. The results of such pruning will become obvious during the following spring or summer. New growth should be more vigorous. Bloom and any subsequent fruit production should be more abundant.

Alternating canes is similar to coppicing, but not as drastic. Coppicing entails pruning all growth down to the ground. Alternating canes involves pruning only old and deteriorating stems to the ground. Younger and more vigorous stems remain with more space to grow and bloom. The process essentially promotes constant growth of more productive stems.

Pruning grape vines with this technique is a bit different. It entails pruning old canes only back to their permanent trunks, rather than to the ground. In that regard, it is more similar to pollarding, but not as drastic. Pollarding entails pruning all growth back to a trunk or a few main limbs. Small grape vines might support only a pair of canes after such pruning.

Most, but not all, alternating canes pruning should happen during winter dormancy. Lilac and Forsythia bloom profusely for early spring, but generate no fruit. Therefore, for them, alternating canes pruning may occur immediately after bloom. Delay of such pruning can allow old canes to bloom one last time prior to their removal. It maximizes floral potential.

Some species that benefit from alternating canes pruning happen to be evergreen. Their pruning can happen whenever it is convenient for them, even if not during winter. Abelia, for example, may be rather sparse after such pruning. It remains sparse for longer during early winter than late in winter. Oregon grape and Heavenly bamboo are also evergreen.

Proper dormant pruning for several types of plants involves alternating canes by default. These include, but are not limited to, roses, hydrangeas, elderberries, and cane berries. Some types of filbert, and some types of cotoneaster are less common examples. Witch hazels, like forsythias and lilacs, should bloom prior to pruning. Bamboos are conducive to alternating canes whenever they appear to get unkempt.

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Live Christmas Trees Grow Up

Living Christmas trees eventually grow up.

Cut Christmas trees are the epitome of cut foliage. They grow on farms until harvest, like most other cut foliage. They then beautify homes and other interior spaces for Christmas. Ultimately, they become compost or green waste. Live Christmas trees are very different. They also grow on farms, and beautify interior spaces, but are living, evergreen conifers.

They are supposed to be the more sustainable option. Ideally, some live Christmas trees function as such for multiple years. A few are actually appropriate to home gardens when they grow too big to bring in. Realistically though, most live Christmas trees grow too fast and too large. Some actually become more of an environmental detriment than an asset.

Furthermore, live Christmas trees are actually less sustainable than cut Christmas trees. Cut Christmas trees grow on plantations where they need merely irrigation and fertilizer. Live Christmas trees require plastic pots, synthetic growing medium and more fertilizers. They only become sustainable after several years of reliable service as Christmas trees.

Among live Christmas trees, the more expensive sorts are typically the most sustainable. Various spruces grow slowly enough to remain potted and symmetrical for several years. They are more expensive because they take so long to grow to marketable size. As they outgrow their pots, most are proportionate to home gardens. Few grow as big shrubbery.

A few compact cultivars of fir and even pine are about as sustainable as spruces. Lemon cypress, Eastern red cedar and arborvitae are more conducive to shearing. Even as they grow faster, they can remain confined to pots for quite a few years. Afterwards, they might fit well into a garden. If not, they can be given to neighbors who can accommodate them.

Cheap, overly common and pre-decorated live Christmas trees are the least sustainable. Almost all are Italian stone pine or Canary Island pine. A few might be Aleppo pine. They may be pretty while new, but do not perform well for long as potted plants. However, they grow much too large for compact home gardens. Their long term options are very limited. Big trees require big landscapes.

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Dormant Pruning For Fruit Trees

Dormant pruning is severe but specialized.

Bare root season begins now because bare root stock is so efficiently dormant for winter. Dormancy is the same reason that this is now also time for dormant pruning of fruit trees. It is comparable to anesthesia for surgery. Affected fruit trees waken from dormancy after winter with no idea of what happened. They then resume growth as if nothing happened.

Dormant pruning is important because of the unnatural breeding of most fruit trees. They have been bred to produce unnaturally large and unnaturally abundant fruit. Their fruit is so excessive that they can not support all that they could produce. Dormant pruning both limits production and concentrates resources. Resulting fruit is less abundant but bigger.

Bigger, better but less abundant fruits collectively weigh less than overly abundant fruits. Furthermore, dormant pruning improves structural integrity of affected trees. So, affected trees are able to support more weight but must support less. Ideally, they should need no propping for limbs that are too heavy with fruit. Limbs should not break from their weight.

Dormant pruning also directs and stimulates growth. It should prevent stems from getting so high that their fruit is beyond reach. Actually, most fruit should be within reach from the ground without a ladder. Vigorous growth is more resistant to pathogens than congested and less vigorous growth. There are actually quite a few advantages of dormant pruning.

Stone fruit trees and pome fruit trees are popular types that need dormant pruning. Stone fruit include apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum and prune. They need similar pruning but to varying degrees. Peach needs more severe pruning because its fruit is so big and heavy. Cherry needs less aggressive pruning. Apple, pear and quince are all pome fruit.

Deciduous fruit trees are quite demanding, and reliant on timely dormant pruning. Those who would like to grow them should first be aware of their cultural requirements. Diligent research of pruning technique is helpful. Practical and annual experience is even better. Each year, it is an opportunity to observe how subject trees respond to dormant pruning.

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Bare Root Season Begins Now

Bare root stock is less expensive.

Wintry weather, although unpleasant at times, has certain advantages. Most importantly, it provides rain here, and snow in the mountains for water reserves. Gardening would be very different with any less. Also, cool weather initiates dormancy for most plant species, giving them a time for rest prior to spring. This is what makes bare root season possible.

Bare root stock is exactly what it sounds like. It is available for sale without the soil that it grew in. Some comes with an individual bag of moist sawdust around its otherwise bare roots. Most merely rests with its otherwise exposed roots in damp sand at nurseries until purchase. Because it is so portable, much is available by mail order, or online purchase.

Bare root stock becomes available now because this is when it is dormant. It comes into nurseries as readily as Christmas trees relinquish their space. Because it is dormant, it is unaware of what is happening to it. Dormancy works like an anesthetic for major surgery. Ideally, bare root stock awakens in its new gardens without any idea how it arrived there.

There are several advantages to bare root stock. It is much less expensive than canned, or potted, nursery stock. It is less cumbersome to bring home from nurseries. Because its roots were never confined, they disperse readily into surrounding soil. For some types of plants, more varieties are available bare root. Several plants are only available as such.

Roses and fruit trees are the most popular of bare root plants. More cultivars of roses are available now than at any other time of year. Fruit trees include primarily stone fruits and pome fruits. Stone fruits include apricot, cherry, plum, prune, nectarine and peach as well as almond. Pome fruits include apple, pear, crabapple and Asian pear as well as quince.

Cane berries, including blackberry and raspberry, are also available with bare root stock. So are perennial fruit and vegetables like strawberry, rhubarb, artichoke and asparagus. A few deciduous but fruitless shrubs, trees, vines or perennials are sometimes available. These might include lilac, forsythia, clematis, wisteria, astilbe and deciduous magnolias. Grapevines and nut trees are also available.

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Winter Flowers May Be Scarce

Not many flowers bloom for winter.

Evergreen foliage and berries are now popular for home decor for a primary reason. Not many winter flowers are blooming and available for cutting and bringing in. Most flowers prefer to bloom while more pollinators are more active. Not many pollinators are out and about while weather is cool through winter. Consequently, winter flowers may be scarce.

However, they are not actually as scarce as they seem to be. Some winter flowers bloom without drawing attention to themselves. They do not need to if they rely on wind for their pollination. Colorful flowers are colorful only to attract pollinators. For example, redwood is blooming quite privately about now. It produces no prominently colorful flowers to see.

Some winter flowers do not actually intend to bloom in winter. They are merely confused by the local climates. For example, African daisy blooms whenever the weather is warm. It does not know to stop blooming for winter here because the weather is not overly cold. Cala are tropicals, so have no concept of winter. They should not bloom, but might try to.

Camellias are some of the most familiar and popular winter flowers. Sasanqua camellias bloom before common camellias. Different cultivars of each type bloom at different times. The latest sasanqua camellias might actually bloom after the earliest common camellias. Sasanqua camellias bloom more abundantly. Common camellias provide larger flowers.

Although most salvia bloom during warmer weather, a few bloom sporadically for winter. Autumn sage seems to never be completely without bloom. Meanwhile, cultivars of witch hazel bloom curiously on bare stems. So does winter jasmine, but only in yellow. Oregon grape can bloom impressively within cooler climates. It is evergreen and blooms yellow.

Many of the better winter flowers are cool season annuals, which are no good for cutting. These comprise pansy, viola, cyclamen, dianthus, snapdragon, nemesia and primroses. Stock is exceptional, because it can be cut and brought inside and is splendidly fragrant. Ornamental kale and ornamental cabbage are foliar plants that present like wide flowers.

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Evergreen Foliage For Christmas Decor

Pines provide delightful cut evergreen foliage.

Berries such as firethorn might be the most colorful features of some home gardens now. Flowers can be scarce for late autumn and winter. Yet, people still enjoy decorating their homes with vegetation from their gardens. Cut evergreen foliage actually becomes more popular than cut flowers had been. It is a basic component of traditional Christmas decor.

Christmas trees are the most extreme form of cut evergreen foliage. With few exceptions, though, they do not grow within home gardens. Instead, they grow on farms and become available for sale before Christmas. Availability from such sources is remarkably diverse. Not many home gardens have adequate space for cut Christmas tree cultivation anyway.

Wreaths and garlands are the second most extreme forms of cut evergreen foliage. Many are available for sale like cut Christmas trees are. However, many people create wreaths and garlands from what inhabits their gardens. After all, wreaths and garlands are merely stylized floral design which lack containers. Most, but not all, lack anything floral as well.

Because wreaths and garlands lack containers, their components must not wilt too soon. The best evergreen foliage is coniferous. However, some broadleaf foliage works nicely. Even defoliated deciduous twigs can be intriguing. Pine cones can substitute for flowers. There are not many rules to floral design, or for the composition of wreaths and garlands.

Collection of evergreen foliage for wreaths and garlands should not disrupt a landscape. Ideally, such foliage should be in need of removal anyway. For example, stems that need pruning can provide significant material. Pruning cuts from source material must be done properly, without stubs or disfigurement. The many rules of responsible gardening apply.

Fir, spruce, pine and cedar are some of the better evergreen foliage for Christmas decor. They are uncommon, though, within local home gardens. Italian cypress, arborvitae and juniper are more common. Boxwood, various hollies and various pittosporums are some broadleaf alternatives. Southern magnolia and New Zealand flax may add bold contrast. So do coral bark Japanese maple twigs or tufts of ornamental grass.

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Frost Protection

For many species, frost damage is not as bad as it looks.

            My colleague in the Los Angeles area still sends me seeds for all sorts of strange plants that I probably should not be growing in my less climactically temperate garden, making it difficult to conform to the primary rule of frost protection: ‘Select plants that are appropriate to the particular climate.’ No matter how often I remind my clients of this rule, I really do not want to abide by it. There are just too many interesting but inappropriate plants.

            So the next option is to grow frost sensitive plants in containers that can be moved to sheltered areas prior to frost. That worked while I had an extra parking space in the carport and some room under the porch for giant bird-of-Paradise, plumeria, philodendrons and such. Eventually though, some of these plants get too large to be contained; and I really do not want to keep pruning them back. Besides, I prefer to grow things in the ground.

            The third option is to put sensitive plants in spots that are naturally warmer, or where they are sheltered below the canopies of large evergreen trees, lath or wide eaves. Just remember that plants under eaves are also sheltered from rain, so may need to be watered occasionally through winter. Steep slopes are not quite as cold because cold air drains off. However, flat areas below slopes get colder as they catch cold air that drains from uphill. South facing exposures are of course warmer than northern exposures.

            I know probably better than most that there are always some plants that are not ‘appropriate to the particular climate’, that I do not want to grow in pots, and that prefer to be out in exposed parts of the garden. For example, bougainvilleas are somewhat tender, have sensitive roots that do not like to be confined, and really want to be out in the open to take advantage of warming sunshine during summer. Such plants in colder areas will either need to be protected, or will get damaged by frost.

            Burlap suspended above the foliage by stakes is typically enough to protect sensitive plants from frost. I have used old towels and linens where my neighbors can not see. Plastic sheeting is also effective, but should be removed before sunlight warms the air too much underneath. Paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes are enough for small plants.

            I actually allow some of my larger plants that would be difficult to cover to get damaged by frost, and then prune out the damage later. If they are too big to cover easily, they are probably big enough to survive frost. Damaged stems should be left until the end of winter both to insulate stems below, and also because early pruning stimulates new growth that is even more sensitive to frost. 

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Frost Is Not An Enemy

Among canna, frost damage is harmless.

Rain was one clue. Cooler weather is another. It is now so late into autumn that it will be winter soon. Every regional climate experiences some degree of chill. Some, particularly to the north, experience frost. This limits gardening in two ways. Several species prefer a bit less cool weather. Several prefer a bit more. Every species prefers a particular range.

Apple trees, for example, require vernalization, which is a specific duration of chill. Some cultivars require more than others. Without it, they can not distinguish seasons, so do not know when to bloom for spring. Consequently, few cultivars of apple perform adequately within Los Angeles. However, many perform very well in the cooler climates of San Jose.

Banana trees, conversely, need no chill, and are instead set back by frost. Some tolerate a bit more chill than others; but ultimately, they are all tropical species. They produce fruit only within the months between frosts. Consequently, not many banana trees are notably productive within San Jose. However, they perform better in the climates of Los Angeles.

Banana trees stop growing when the weather is cooler than fifty degrees or so. That is a bit too much chill for them. However, frost does not occur until the weather is cooler than thirty-two degrees. Banana foliage can therefore be safely dormant during chilly weather. That is a range of twenty-two degrees. Different tropical species survive different ranges.

The simplest form of frost protection is to not cultivate species that are vulnerable to frost. This is, of course, a bit too restrictive for many who enjoy gardening. Instead, some grow vulnerable species in pots to move to shelter prior to frost. Some simply grow vulnerable species below the shelter of eaves or big trees. Tenting may also be effective protection.

Alternatively, some species can endure frost damage to recover during warmer weather. If possible, outer foliage that succumbs to frost should remain through winter. It insulates inner growth from subsequent damage. Besides, premature grooming can stimulate new growth that is more vulnerable. Many perennials prefer cutting back after winter anyway.

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Bare Root Stock

Bare Root Stock may not be much to look at.

Now that nurseries and garden centers are no longer selling Christmas trees, they have plenty of room for bare root stock. All sorts of deciduous fruit trees, a few deciduous shade trees, shrubs and vines, and even a few perennials can now be purchased while dormant and without the cumbersome media (soil) that the roots need at all other times of the year. Not only is bare root stock easier to handle and transport in small cars, but it is also much less expensive than canned stock (that has roots contained in media, which is contained in nursery cans). Bare root stock typically costs about a third of what canned stock costs.

Bare root stock also has the advantage of adapting to new garden easier, since it does not need to leave the comfort zone of the media that it would have grown into (within a can) in order to venture out into unfamiliar soil. Instead, it starts to disperse roots into the new home soil immediately as it emerges from dormancy in late winter. Without cans, bare root stock can not get root bound. Instead of developing branch structure that is appealing to nursery marketing, bare root stock can get an early start on developing branch structure that is most practical and efficient for the gardens that it gets installed into.

It seems that all of the ´stone’ fruit can be found as bare root stock. These include apricot, cherry, plum, prune, peach, nectarine, almond (which is the seed, or ´stone’, of a peach like fruit) and the odd hybrids of these. The pomme fruits, apple, pear and quince, are perhaps the second most popular of bare root stock, although quince is still rather rare. Ornamental trees, shrubs and vines include flowering crabapple, flowering cherry, flowering quince, alder, poplar, willow, lilac, forsythia, wisteria and clematis. Perennials include rhubarb and artichoke.

Bare root stock can be purchased as soon as it becomes available, but does not do much until it starts to grow in spring. It should get planted quickly and soaked in, but will get more water than it needs from rain afterward. It should not need water again until after it blooms or gets new leaves in late winter or early spring. Despite guarantees of fruit in the first year, none should be expected. The few fruit trees that might set fruit will probably produce only useless underdeveloped fruit because new plants are busy producing new roots and growing. Actually though, this apples to canned stock as well, except only for citrus, olives and other evergreen fruit trees.

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Berries For Autumn And Winter

Firethorn berries can be impressively prolific.

Cool season annuals are less diverse than warm season annuals for one simple reason. Flowers prefer to bloom while their favorite pollinators are most active. Most of the better pollinators are insects that are most active during warm weather. Therefore, most flowers want to bloom while the weather is warm. Many colorful berries are similarly exploitative.

For dispersion of their seed, colorful berries rely on birds. Therefore, many ripen and are most colorful as many birds migrate during autumn. Birds consume the berries but do not digest their seed. Instead, as they migrate, they disperse the viable seed. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Birds eat all they want. Seed benefits from thorough dispersion.

As they ripen, autumn and winter berries develop bright colors that attract birds. Most are bright red. Some are bright orange. A few are bright yellow. They are substantial enough to satisfy the birds that eat them. Yet, they are compact enough for such birds to eat them whole. Some are impressively abundant, at least until any birds that they feed find them.

That can be a dilemma for home gardening. Many garden enthusiasts grow autumn and winter berries for the color. Many grow them to attract birds, though. More grow them both for their color and to attract birds. The latter is least disappointing. Typically, such berries ripen to display their color faster than birds can eat all of them. Every season is different.

Unfortunately, there are not many options for colorful autumn and winter berries. Some of the species that produce the most colorful fruit are unfortunately thorny. Firethorn notably produces the most abundant, most colorful and most familiar berries. It is horridly thorny, though. So is English hawthorn, which is deciduous and defoliates to expose its red fruit.

Toyon and various cotoneasters are thornless alternatives for colorful berries. Toyon is a native species that grows rather large. Although cotoneasters are not as prolific, cultivars stay proportionate to home gardens. Hollies are dioecious, so female specimens need a male nearby for pollination. Because males are rare, females produce only a few berries.