summer and into autumn, when plants are showing wear from the hot and dry
weather. Pruning to prepare for winter and, more so, in the early spring are
especially busy times. I will examine each of these pruning times and purposes
in the following chapters.
Because of the complexity of the topic, it is difficult to make generalizations
relating to all forms of pruning. For clarity I have tried to group the plants into
categories, but remember that pruning perennials is very species-specific. You
will want to refer to the Encyclopedia of Perennials for pruning and maintenance
information for individual plants.TOOLS OF THE PERENNIAL PLANT PRUNER
Bypass pruners, pruning scissors, and handheld hedge shears are the primary
tools needed for pruning perennials. The bypass pruner is probably the most
commonly used tool for deadheading and cutting back. Avoid anvil-type pruners,
which can crush stems. Hedge shears have become a favorite tool of mine for
cutting back or shearing perennials either before or after flowering. Hedge
shears can be used for shaping plants, and they are also effective for spring or
autumn cleanup in the garden. Very sharp pruning scissors, which are some-
times sold as never-dull, bonsai, or grape scissors, are helpful and often essential
when delicate deadheading of small flower heads is needed.
Pruning scissors are small and comfortable in smaller hands (and as an added
bonus they come in attractive pastel colors). They are very sharp and can cut a
variety of things in the garden, from heavy branches to fingers—so be careful.
When I first bought a pair of these, they were so popular that there would be a
rush for them among my crew to see who could get them first. In some cases,
particularly for large jobs or mass plantings, string trimmers can be used. And
don’t rule out the usefulness of a sharp thumbnail for snapping off dead flowers.
Electric hedge shears work wonders on ornamental grasses in the early spring. I
have never had to resort to a chain saw, although the temptation has been there
on occasion when the gardens have gotten totally out of hand! Throughout the
following chapters and in the encyclopedia I will refer to the specific tool that I
find works best for a given pruning job.My favorite well-worn gardening
tools: Okatsune hedge shears,
Japanese weeding knife, bypass
pruners, and never-dull pruning
scissors (sold as bonsai, grape,
or craft scissors).introduction to PruninG 93