Alright, let’s talk about this here mountain laurel, you know, the one with them pretty flowers. Folks keep askin’ me how to go about trimmin’ it, so I figured I’d just spell it out for ya, plain and simple like.
First off, when to get your snips out. Don’t go messin’ with it just any old time, ya hear? Springtime, right after them flowers are done showin’ off, that’s the ticket. Don’t go cuttin’ in the fall or winter, that ain’t right. The plant needs time to rest up and get ready for next year’s show.
Now, why do we gotta prune this thing anyway? Well, same reason ya brush your hair, I guess. Keep it lookin’ nice and healthy, see? Pruning helps it grow strong and keeps it from gettin’ all wild and scraggly. Keeps the Mountain Laurel healty and pretty.
- Dead or broken branches? Get rid of ’em! Anytime you see somethin’ snapped off or lookin’ dead, just snip it right off. No need to wait for spring for that kind of stuff.
- Shapin’ it up: This is where the spring prunin’ comes in. After the flowers are gone, you can give it a little haircut, make it look all neat and tidy. Don’t go crazy, though, just a little trim here and there.
- Them old flower bunches: Once them flowers are all dried up and brown, pinch ’em off. Helps the plant put its energy into growin’ new leaves and flowers, instead of wastin’ it on them old deadheads.
Some folks say you gotta feed these plants, too. Give ’em some fertilizer in the spring, they say. I reckon it can’t hurt, might even get ya more flowers. But don’t go overboard. Just a little sprinkle, that’s all ya need.
Now, about how much to cut. Don’t be scared, but don’t go loppin’ off the whole thing neither! Just take off the tips of the branches, maybe a few inches. If you got some branches that are crossin’ each other or rubbin’, cut one of ’em out. You want the air to flow through the plant, see?
Remember, this ain’t no rocket science. Just use your common sense. If it looks bad, cut it. If it looks good, leave it alone. And for goodness sake, don’t prune too late in the year! This here mountain laurel, it makes its flowers on last year’s growth. So if you cut it all up in the fall, you ain’t gonna have no flowers next spring, and then what’s the point?
So there ya have it. Keep it simple, prune in the spring after the flowers are gone, get rid of the dead stuff, and don’t cut too much. Do that, and you’ll have a pretty mountain laurel that’ll make your neighbors jealous.
And one more thing, these plants, they like their soil a bit sour, ya know? Acidic, they call it. So if your plant ain’t doin’ so good, that might be why. You can get stuff at the store to make the soil more sour, if you need to. But that’s a whole ‘nother story for another day.
Types of Pruning? Well, there’s shapin’, makin’ it look pretty, like I said. And then there’s thinin’, takin’ out some branches so it ain’t too crowded in there. Just use your eyes, you’ll figure it out.
Keep in mind, if you do it right, keep those Mountain Laurels lookin’ good. Followin’ these here steps, you can keep your Mountain Laurel happy and bloomin’ year after year.
Tags: [pruning, mountain laurel, garden, shrubs, spring, flowers, plant care, deadheading, shaping, thinning, healthy plants]
