Thanks for making this video! My little dogwoods that were planted just a couple years ago are HUGE and out of control this summer. Your video is so helpful. Will begin cutting back and down asap.
You're welcome Mike! Yes, so many gardeners swear you can only touch these twig dogwoods in Fall or Winter. But trimming them back does no harm to them at all during the Summer season. If I didn't do that, I'd have an overgrown jungle on my hands! 🤣 I hope the heat waves you've been having in the UK -- that I keep reading about -- will let up soon! 🥵 Twig dogwoods love water, so I hope yours are hanging in there! 😊
It’s amazing how much work is involved to keep up with a beautiful garden. It’s the most satisfying work of all when one sees the results after. Thank you!
And thank YOU Sammy for your comments! And you're right -- it is a lot of work but so satisfying to see the results! What are some of your favorite plants and shrubs in your own gardens?
Great, encouraging video showing how simple it is to prune shrubs like these. The various dogwood shrubs and trees have incredibly beautiful foliage, especially in the fall. Yours are lovely even now. I'm definitely looking for some to plant this autumn. 😊
Thanks Kim! 😊 Sometimes home gardeners worry too much about “proper” ways to prune. And when it’s 98 degrees out, with 79% humidity - any outdoor garden chores need to be quick! 🥵🙂 See if you can find some variegated ones - they are even prettier than the solid green, although I’m not familiar with their Fall colors. The Yellow Twigs have pretty Fall color which I think glows in the landscape. 💛
Thanks Florencia! 😊 I really appreciate your feedback! I’m actually working on a Pinky Winky video right now, covering everything one needs to know to grow it. However, Summer tours and updates are in order too! 👍🏼 Stay tuned!
The benefits of cutting down to a leaf node is you can influence the direction of the new growth , same in your lavender pruning video you miss out on opportunity to enhance growth patterns .
While that can be true for certain shrubs, it isn't the case with Twig Dogwoods. These stems are best pruned once a year to remove the oldest stems all the way down to the base. These shrubs grow vertically straight up - resembling a hedge - so cutting them anywhere in Summer to reduce the height is fine and doesn't affect the direction of the stems, which is always straight up to the sun. With Lavender, there's no growth pattern I'm trying to achieve other than to shape it nicely and cut it close to the woody base to encourage new growth. You can shape into a mound or sometimes into a larger half-oval shape. 👍
Laura, I really enjoy your channel! Thank you so much for all the tips. I also live in South Jersey (Manahawkin/Stafford) and your garden gives me much ambition lol. I have to ask, did your beautiful Limelight hydrangea tree always start as a tree or did you shape and train it into one? I am brand new to panicle hydrangeas and. Have several that are now unfortunately flopping over for what I imagine has been from heavy rain the past couple days. But I am unsure if they will perk back up to their beautiful healthy state or maybe I should tie them up with some bamboo posts? I'd truly appreciate your thoughts. Mine are about 6ft tall and are bushes not shape into trees.
Nice to meet you Jillian - waving from Little Egg Harbor! My Limelight Tree was purchased as a tree, so it was grafted onto an existing tree stem by whatever nursery bred and grew the trees. It’s about 10 years old already, so it’s large. Which types of panicle hydrangeas do you have? Some have stronger stems than others. For example my Pinky Winky Hydrangeas never flop ever. Even through heavy rains and tropical storms! Let me know which type you have. Most drooping issues can be remedied with pruning. I’m working on a video about this, and hope to have it up by the end of this week. 👍🏼
@@GardenSanity Well howdy neighbor! I have 6 Limelight hydrangea plants. They are the large variety not the Little Limes. All stems were upright and absolutely gorgeous with blooms bigger than my head. The leaves are all green and appear healthy. The stems on top are very thick and strong and are holding up about 4-6 large blooms with no problem. The lower stems appear thinner and seem to be unable to hold the weight of their large blooms. Even in this high heat we are having today going un-watered they remain drooping substantially. I skipped watering for 2 days after heavy rains just to see if they perked up. Unfortunately, they did not. This is only my 2nd year having them. So I am truly a novice. Thank you so much for replying. Looking forward to your next video.
Also just wanted to mention I did purchase them from I believe is a reputable nursery in Barnegat called Hoch's. The plants weren't cheap, maybe $40/plant. Hopefully they will last and be beautiful forever.
@@PlainJane144 I have both Little Limes as well as my Limelight Hydrangea Tree. I'd suggest pruning those lower, thinner stems that aren't able to hold the large flowerheads. It might not look great afterwards -- and in my upcoming video I'll show what my tree looks like since I did this to it last week -- but it's necessary if you don't want it to cause any damage to other limbs. No worries about being a novice -- I still feel like one after years and years of gardening. We're all constantly learning, especially when Mother Nature throws rain storms at us!
@@PlainJane144 I think you'll have these forever, so no worries! We'll fix them right up! If you're unsure about pruning, start with a low stem that isn't directly in front. Cut the flowerhead off, along with a few inches of stem. You'll be amazed at how the rest of the stem goes from drooping to upright. And new growth will begin growing pretty quickly where you made the cut. You might even get some small flowers eventually there too.
Do you know the variety of your dogwoods? I want to do a 50 foot screening hedge and I’m looking at the baileys red dogwood. Do you have a variety of yellow that would mix in? How far apart would you plant them to get a solid hedge like you have? I could do all red but the combination of both is stunning.
Hi Bengal Cat, I wish I knew the variety of my red twig dogwoods! The red ones were labeled simply “red twig dogwood” and nothing more on the plant labels. (This was back in 2014, and I wish I would have investigated further as to what specifically they were.) The yellow twigs are “Bud’s Yellow” variety. I first saw the Bud’s Yellow at the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show, mixed in with red twig dogwoods, and had to buy some to duplicate what I saw! The Baileys Red Twig Dogwood is beautiful! They get 8 to 10 feet tall, and a Bud's Yellow gets between 5 and 8 feet tall. So just keep in mind which varieties you want to mix, so you don't drive yourself nuts wanting them to be a similar tall height. I have mine planted 3 feet apart, if you measure from center of one shrub to the center of the next one. I hope all of this helps! I already know you will love your hedge! And 50 feet? I'm jealous! 😀
You’re welcome Wendy! I never prune mine in Spring, mainly because I like the white flowers that show up in late Spring. However, I completely agree with you: this year they became huge with the rainy Spring! I felt so much better once they were tamed! 😀
Hi Matthew! My Summer "pruning" isn't truly a full pruning, as you no doubt saw in the video. It's more a trimming up and tidying up of the shrubs. I do the full pruning in late Fall, and have a separate video on that. 👍
@@GardenSanity Good morning thanks for reply..The info I'm familiar with regarding flowering or kousa dogwood is any pruning causes an injury and that is an invitation for the borer to enter at the site of cut - at branch collar- So whether a touch up prune or hard prune in Spring,Summer,Fall, anywhere we cut on the tree causes creates an attractive site for the borer to enter... ( Somehow they detect these fresh cuts from long distance ),so if that happens with the flowering and kousa do you think also with the red twig ? I haven't had it confirmed yet. THANKS for more feedback if available.
@@matthewpolo227 The thing about any borers (which are a form of beetle), is that they can literally "bore" into a twig or trunk without needing any help from pruning. So if they are present in the garden, they will eat the leaves and bore into the stems whenever they feel like. These borers can also attack many other woody plants, shrubs and trees. Like any problem insect, IF they are present, then treatment of the stems, leaves and surrounding soil will most likely be needed. (I'd always start with the least toxic solution first, such as Neem Oil, before trying other options.) So, pruning isn't going to encourage borers to show up in your garden, if they aren't already there doing damage. Doing the major stem pruning on twig dogwoods in December or very early Spring while these shrubs are dormant means that the borers and other bugs are most likely also dormant. Clipping off the foliage towards the top won't cause any major damage. 👍
@@GardenSanity Yeah that's all good info ..however we need to be aware that whenever we cut a branch it's like a calling card for the borer from hundreds of feet away.I learned of this when studying Birch borer so likely same applies to other species incl Dogwood.Enjoy rest of Summer.
Thanks for making this video! My little dogwoods that were planted just a couple years ago are HUGE and out of control this summer. Your video is so helpful. Will begin cutting back and down asap.
You're welcome Liz -- always glad to help! I hope your dogwoods are much happier now -- and that you are happy with their "new" smaller size! 😃
Many grateful thanks from UK 🇬🇧🇺🇸 everyone but YOU says don’t cut in summer .. given me even greater confidence as beginner gargener
You're welcome Mike! Yes, so many gardeners swear you can only touch these twig dogwoods in Fall or Winter. But trimming them back does no harm to them at all during the Summer season. If I didn't do that, I'd have an overgrown jungle on my hands! 🤣 I hope the heat waves you've been having in the UK -- that I keep reading about -- will let up soon! 🥵 Twig dogwoods love water, so I hope yours are hanging in there! 😊
It’s amazing how much work is involved to keep up with a beautiful garden. It’s the most satisfying work of all when one sees the results after. Thank you!
And thank YOU Sammy for your comments! And you're right -- it is a lot of work but so satisfying to see the results! What are some of your favorite plants and shrubs in your own gardens?
Great, encouraging video showing how simple it is to prune shrubs like these. The various dogwood shrubs and trees have incredibly beautiful foliage, especially in the fall. Yours are lovely even now. I'm definitely looking for some to plant this autumn. 😊
Thanks Kim! 😊 Sometimes home gardeners worry too much about “proper” ways to prune. And when it’s 98 degrees out, with 79% humidity - any outdoor garden chores need to be quick! 🥵🙂 See if you can find some variegated ones - they are even prettier than the solid green, although I’m not familiar with their Fall colors. The Yellow Twigs have pretty Fall color which I think glows in the landscape. 💛
@@GardenSanity Thanks for the tips! I love tree shopping in the fall! ☺️
@@OliveCityOasis And you have some beautiful trees!!
Thank you. This is exactly the instruction/advice I was looking for. Subscribed!
So glad I could help you Tanya! 😀 I just gave mine their Summer pruning yesterday!
loved your common sense prunning !!!!
Why thanks so much Adriana! I try to keep it simple -- especially in the middle of a hot and humid Summer!
I would buy some rootings from these and the Pinky Winky. I'm in love with your garden! 😍
By the way, show off the Pinky Winky next!!! Quick garden tour with update of the Dappled Willows too!!
Thanks Florencia! 😊 I really appreciate your feedback! I’m actually working on a Pinky Winky video right now, covering everything one needs to know to grow it. However, Summer tours and updates are in order too! 👍🏼 Stay tuned!
Great video! Exactly what I needed. Thanks!
I’m so glad this helped John. Happy pruning! 🌿
The benefits of cutting down to a leaf node is you can influence the direction of the new growth , same in your lavender pruning video you miss out on opportunity to enhance growth patterns .
While that can be true for certain shrubs, it isn't the case with Twig Dogwoods. These stems are best pruned once a year to remove the oldest stems all the way down to the base. These shrubs grow vertically straight up - resembling a hedge - so cutting them anywhere in Summer to reduce the height is fine and doesn't affect the direction of the stems, which is always straight up to the sun. With Lavender, there's no growth pattern I'm trying to achieve other than to shape it nicely and cut it close to the woody base to encourage new growth. You can shape into a mound or sometimes into a larger half-oval shape. 👍
Thanks!!!
You're welcome Claudia!
My local nursery has some variegated ones that look amazing. I hope no one buys them before they go on sale.
Oooh I would definitely get a variegated one if I could do it over again! They are really nice!
Laura, I really enjoy your channel! Thank you so much for all the tips. I also live in South Jersey (Manahawkin/Stafford) and your garden gives me much ambition lol. I have to ask, did your beautiful Limelight hydrangea tree always start as a tree or did you shape and train it into one? I am brand new to panicle hydrangeas and. Have several that are now unfortunately flopping over for what I imagine has been from heavy rain the past couple days. But I am unsure if they will perk back up to their beautiful healthy state or maybe I should tie them up with some bamboo posts? I'd truly appreciate your thoughts. Mine are about 6ft tall and are bushes not shape into trees.
Nice to meet you Jillian - waving from Little Egg Harbor! My Limelight Tree was purchased as a tree, so it was grafted onto an existing tree stem by whatever nursery bred and grew the trees. It’s about 10 years old already, so it’s large.
Which types of panicle hydrangeas do you have? Some have stronger stems than others. For example my Pinky Winky Hydrangeas never flop ever. Even through heavy rains and tropical storms!
Let me know which type you have. Most drooping issues can be remedied with pruning. I’m working on a video about this, and hope to have it up by the end of this week. 👍🏼
@@GardenSanity Well howdy neighbor! I have 6 Limelight hydrangea plants. They are the large variety not the Little Limes. All stems were upright and absolutely gorgeous with blooms bigger than my head. The leaves are all green and appear healthy. The stems on top are very thick and strong and are holding up about 4-6 large blooms with no problem. The lower stems appear thinner and seem to be unable to hold the weight of their large blooms. Even in this high heat we are having today going un-watered they remain drooping substantially. I skipped watering for 2 days after heavy rains just to see if they perked up. Unfortunately, they did not. This is only my 2nd year having them. So I am truly a novice. Thank you so much for replying. Looking forward to your next video.
Also just wanted to mention I did purchase them from I believe is a reputable nursery in Barnegat called Hoch's. The plants weren't cheap, maybe $40/plant. Hopefully they will last and be beautiful forever.
@@PlainJane144 I have both Little Limes as well as my Limelight Hydrangea Tree. I'd suggest pruning those lower, thinner stems that aren't able to hold the large flowerheads. It might not look great afterwards -- and in my upcoming video I'll show what my tree looks like since I did this to it last week -- but it's necessary if you don't want it to cause any damage to other limbs. No worries about being a novice -- I still feel like one after years and years of gardening. We're all constantly learning, especially when Mother Nature throws rain storms at us!
@@PlainJane144 I think you'll have these forever, so no worries! We'll fix them right up! If you're unsure about pruning, start with a low stem that isn't directly in front. Cut the flowerhead off, along with a few inches of stem. You'll be amazed at how the rest of the stem goes from drooping to upright. And new growth will begin growing pretty quickly where you made the cut. You might even get some small flowers eventually there too.
Do you know the variety of your dogwoods? I want to do a 50 foot screening hedge and I’m looking at the baileys red dogwood. Do you have a variety of yellow that would mix in? How far apart would you plant them to get a solid hedge like you have? I could do all red but the combination of both is stunning.
Hi Bengal Cat, I wish I knew the variety of my red twig dogwoods! The red ones were labeled simply “red twig dogwood” and nothing more on the plant labels. (This was back in 2014, and I wish I would have investigated further as to what specifically they were.) The yellow twigs are “Bud’s Yellow” variety. I first saw the Bud’s Yellow at the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show, mixed in with red twig dogwoods, and had to buy some to duplicate what I saw!
The Baileys Red Twig Dogwood is beautiful! They get 8 to 10 feet tall, and a Bud's Yellow gets between 5 and 8 feet tall. So just keep in mind which varieties you want to mix, so you don't drive yourself nuts wanting them to be a similar tall height.
I have mine planted 3 feet apart, if you measure from center of one shrub to the center of the next one. I hope all of this helps! I already know you will love your hedge! And 50 feet? I'm jealous! 😀
@@GardenSanity Thank you so much! The two you mentioned are the two I was looking at. I’m so excited to start planting!
I bet it will be gorgeous! And year-round too! Please keep me posted! ❤️💛
Thank you! I didn't prune my red twig this spring. It definitely has gotten out of hand with all the rain we had this spring.
You’re welcome Wendy! I never prune mine in Spring, mainly because I like the white flowers that show up in late Spring. However, I completely agree with you: this year they became huge with the rainy Spring! I felt so much better once they were tamed! 😀
Why do they say you shouldn't prune red twig in the summer are they susceptible to the dogwood borer like the flowering and Kousa are ?
Hi Matthew! My Summer "pruning" isn't truly a full pruning, as you no doubt saw in the video. It's more a trimming up and tidying up of the shrubs. I do the full pruning in late Fall, and have a separate video on that. 👍
@@GardenSanity
Good morning thanks for reply..The info I'm familiar with regarding flowering or kousa dogwood is any pruning causes an injury and that is an invitation for the borer to enter at the site of cut - at branch collar- So whether a touch up prune or hard prune in Spring,Summer,Fall, anywhere we cut on the tree causes creates an attractive site for the borer to enter... ( Somehow they detect these fresh cuts from long distance ),so if that happens with the flowering and kousa do you think also with the red twig ? I haven't had it confirmed yet.
THANKS for more feedback if available.
@@matthewpolo227 The thing about any borers (which are a form of beetle), is that they can literally "bore" into a twig or trunk without needing any help from pruning. So if they are present in the garden, they will eat the leaves and bore into the stems whenever they feel like. These borers can also attack many other woody plants, shrubs and trees. Like any problem insect, IF they are present, then treatment of the stems, leaves and surrounding soil will most likely be needed. (I'd always start with the least toxic solution first, such as Neem Oil, before trying other options.) So, pruning isn't going to encourage borers to show up in your garden, if they aren't already there doing damage. Doing the major stem pruning on twig dogwoods in December or very early Spring while these shrubs are dormant means that the borers and other bugs are most likely also dormant. Clipping off the foliage towards the top won't cause any major damage. 👍
@@GardenSanity Yeah that's all good info ..however we need to be aware that whenever we cut a branch it's like a calling card for the borer from hundreds of feet away.I learned of this when studying Birch borer so likely same applies to other species incl Dogwood.Enjoy rest of Summer.