Garden plants should be planted where they need a minimum amount of pruning. Plant a plant in a space where it has enough room to grow. Minimal pruning would be dead and crossing branches, diseased branches and deadheading.
A large branch of an overhead Oak tree fell on this ornamental crabapple tree breaking all of its branches:
After 6 weeks many sprouts started to grow from the trunk.
After 3 months the tree is starting to form it’s branching structure.
After 6 months and some thinning of the branches.
After 1 year
After 2 years
After 3 years
After 4 years
After 4 1/2 years
The trunk was severely wounded and half of the bark was ripped off. Note how the callus is growing along the trunk healing the wound.
Stump sprouts on Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ after 2 months and 12 months. The solar workers made me cut the plant back to a 12″ stump and I was afraid that it would die but it is doing fine. It is a slow grower.
Carpenteria before pruning
Carpenteria after pruning
Carpenteria californica during bloom in May.
A Weeping Willow has sprouted from the trunk of a tree that was blown over in 2021. This photo was taken 8 months after the storm.
9 months after the storm. The stump sprouts were pruned heavily.
18 months after the storm and after a severe pruning.
2 years after the Willow fell
3 years
4 years
5 years
Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) before and after pruning (mostly thinning)
Trees that have a central leader should not have the central leader cut off.
Dwarf Olive (Olea ‘Little Ollie’) before and after pruning to expose main branch structure.
Before and after pruning of Little Ollie Olive
Group of Little Ollie Olives pruned to expose branches.
Dwarf Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis ‘Little John’) before and after pruning.
View of the interior of the Bottlebrush before and after pruning. All the small twigs have been removed.
Callistemon viminalis (Weeping Bottlebrush) pruned and unpruned
Dietes iridioides pruned to the ground every 4-5 years to rejuvenate the foliage. This saves a lot of work cutting back each individual dead leaf. Second photo is after 1 week. Third photo is after 8 months.
Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) in September, 2024 was not pruned the previous Spring so there are not too many flowers.
Before pruning in winter of 2025.
After completion of pruning. There will be a lot more flowers in the summer of 2025.
July 2025
Before and after pruning Cherry
Blooming Cherries after pruning. (April 5)
Before and after pruning pear.
Before pruning Apple
Pruning ladder – the 3rd leg can be extended or shortened for pruning on slopes.
Before
After
Before
After