People are always asking me about the best time to prune the shrubs they've installed or are maintaining.  For flowering shrubs the answer is easy - prune right after they’re done blooming. Late pruning in this case is bad since you’re removing the next season's flower buds and most of your clients would not be happy about that.

Boxwood (Buxus) and yew (Taxus) are a little different as flowers are not necessary or desired. First and foremost, always use very sharp pruners or shears, to make the pruning easier and reduce damage to the plant. To maintain trimmed forms and hedges you ideally need to shear twice a year. Once in late May or early June after the initial foliar flush, and then a second time around August. This causes the formation of lateral buds which help maintain denser growth. 

Keep in mind that shearing a plant to the same exact size every year causes the outside of the plant to become very dense, leaving the interior bare. Allowing for a slight increase helps delay the need for an extreme renewal pruning or plant replacement. Try not to prune during a drought period, and to prevent foliar freezeback pruning should never occur in late fall or winter. If you’re only going to shear once a year, try to do it around August. 

When shearing hedges, taper them so that the top is narrower than the bottom, so all sides will be exposed to sunlight. This will give you a slightly pyramidal shape. Avoid at all cost the inverted pyramid look, as this even further screens sunlight and eventually kills the bottom.

Both boxwood and yew are very tolerant of shearing and with proper technique will remain attractive and functional in the landscape for many years. 

You might be surprised to hear that I have a night job as a stand-up comedian. I think I am really good at it since every time I’m up on stage, I always get a big reaction! Let me give you an example of one of my jokes: Two bags of polymeric sand walk onto a patio, and belly up to the installer. They each ask for a glass of water, but the installer looks at them and says “I can’t serve the two of you; you both look all washed out and in a haze!”

Okay, so if you are laughing at that, your sense of humor is in far worse shape than mine. If you're not laughing, then you know all too well that polymeric sand is really no joking topic.

Putting in jointing sand is typically the final stage of the project. We all know how easy it is to install - and sometimes to fail at. With all the new and improved polymeric sands flooding the market, how many have you tried? If you’ve answered none, then you are not alone. You have found the one product that works for you and have had success with. It’s hard to change the final step right before getting the final payment. However, many of these new products will outperform the “old” sands and save you time in the process. The key element is the watering procedure.

The most time-consuming step is that watering process. Many of the old products tell you to lightly mist a small area 2-3 times. That’s several opportunities for a mistake to happen. You have to also take into consideration the temperature, humidity, even if it is sunny or cloudy. Most of the new sands only require only a single watering application. Depending on the manufacturer, this could be due to polymer weight or reduction of dust particles. Now you have a few less chances to have an error. Make sure you apply enough water to fully saturate the joint, otherwise the joint will wash out at some point. I tell contractors to use the “shower” mode on the hose, and rinse off the bricks. The rest of the installation process is the same, but please read the instructions thoroughly. Even though the process may be similar, there could be slight differences between the manufacturers that could have consequences if not followed. Don’t be “that guy” that reads the directions after your IKEA cabinet is built upside down and inside out!

If you have a question about a process or a product, please call or stop in. If we don’t know the answers, we know the people that do. Let us help you solve whatever problems come your way over a cup of coffee, and maybe some really bad humor... I guess I won't be quitting my day job any time soon.