Welcome to Tree Planting Notes
Care Of Fruit Trees Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Care Of Fruit Trees. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Training Beautiful Flowering Shrubs into Unique Flowering Trees
from: Michael J. McGroartyYou are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm
There is nothing more beautiful than a flowering shrub in full bloom, except maybe a flowering shrub in full bloom that has been trained to grow as a single stem tree. Imagine having a fragrant Viburnum Tree next to your patio or outside your bedroom window, waking up to such a wonderful aroma.
Click here to see how I grow Weeping Pussy Willow from cuttings, then train them into single stem trees:
http://www.freeplants.com/weeping-pussy-willow.htm
Don't confuse what I am about to explain here with the common technique of grafting flowering shrubs on to the tall stem of some sort of rootstock. Grafting is very effective, but not so easy to do. This is much easier. Not only that, when you train the shrub to grow into a single stem tree, you can end up with some very interesting plants.
Training a flowering shrub to grow into a single stem tree is actually pretty simple. The younger the shrub you start with, the easier it is to train. I have a friend who grows thousands of Tree Hydrangeas a year, and this is how he trains them. The variety that he grows for this purpose is P.G. Hydrangea. (hydrangea paniculata grandiflora) This is the one with the huge white snowball blooms.
He starts with rooted cuttings and lines them out in the field about 30" apart. The first year he allows them to grow untouched as multi-stem shrubs. Being a fast growing shrub, they typically produce 3 to 4 branches that grow to a height of about 3 to 4' that first season. The following spring he goes into the field, examines each plant and selects the one stem that is the straightest, and is likely to grow straight up from the roots if tied to a stake.
He then clips all of the other branches as close to the main stem as possible. Then he pounds a stake in the ground as close to the main stem as possible, and clips the tip off the single stem that is left. This forces the plant to set lateral buds just below where he clipped the top off, rather than continue growing straight up. These lateral buds will grow into branches that will form the head of the tree. He then ties the stem to the stake.
As it begins to grow, any buds that appear below that top group of buds are picked off to keep the single stem tree form. That's all there is to it. You can use almost anything as a stake, and just tie the stem to the stake with a piece of cloth. I also anchor plants to stakes with a single wrap of duct tape. I find that if I only wrap the tape once, the sun will dry the glue and the tape will fall off by itself in about 12 months. 1/2" electrical tubing (conduit) also makes a good stake, and is just a couple of bucks for a 10 foot piece.
You can do the same thing with an older established shrub if you can find one branch that can be tied to a vertical stake. The stem is likely to be crooked and not too smooth because of the wounds from where the branches were removed, but that doesn't mean that you can not create an interesting plant. Some of the shrubs that make beautiful and unique ornamental trees are many varieties of Viburnums, Burning Bush, Winged Burning Bush, Red and Yellow Twig Dogwoods, Weigelia, Mockorange, Rose of Sharon, and Flowering Almond.
I'm sure there are many more. My favorite shrub to train into a single stem tree is Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. In shrub form this plant is extremely interesting with its twisted and contorted branches. The new growth is reminiscent of a pig's tail. Using the same technique as described above I select a single stem, tie it to a stake, and train it to grow as a single stem tree. The effect is totally unique.
Call your local garden stores and ask them if they have a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick plant. Give it a try, I'm sure you'll have fun as well as create some very interesting plants for your landscape.
Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter. Article provided by http://gardening-articles.com
About the Author
Michael J. McGroarty has more than 30 years experience in the landscape gardening/nursery industry. He's spent the better part of his life on his hands and knees in the dirt working with plants and his hands-on experience allows Mike to write in a manner than many gardeners find to be helpful and beneficial.
 |
 |
Care Of Fruit Trees News
Growing with loving care - Cullman Times Online
Growing with loving care Cullman Times Online For instance, you wouldn't want a tree which drops fruit near your front door, nor would you want one whose roots tend to spread above ground near your sidewalk, patio or driveway. “A tree should be suited to the location's light exposure, ... |
The Real Dirt: Take time to prune mature deciduous trees - Enterprise-Record
The Real Dirt: Take time to prune mature deciduous trees Enterprise-Record Winter is a great time to take care of some hefty garden chores like pruning deciduous fruit trees. Pruning can sometimes seem overwhelming, but keeping the three "Ds" in mind can help you get started: Examine your trees for wood that is dead, ... |
Bare-root fruit trees - Lompoc Record
Bare-root fruit trees Lompoc Record Deciduous fruit trees go dormant, too, and are equally accepting of being dug up, having the soil removed from their roots and then being transported to nurseries where they're available now. Remarkably, within a few years these stick-like plants will ... |
Are Your Fruit Trees Healthy And Happy? - AboutMyArea
 AboutMyArea | Are Your Fruit Trees Healthy And Happy? AboutMyArea Just like anything in your garden, your fruit trees need some basic maintenance and care … and in return they will reward you with a bumper harvest to enjoy! And if you are keen to blow off the cobwebs and get out in the garden, now is the perfect ... |
Master Gardeners: Weather perfect for planting fruit trees - Huntsville Item
Master Gardeners: Weather perfect for planting fruit trees Huntsville Item Mother Nature appears to be shining down on us because she has made the perfect planting climate for fruit trees and roses. Late winter has always been synonymous with tree planting season and roses, but folks it just does not get better than this ... |