Here is a short (1 min, 30 sec) philosophical presentation by the handsome Gardener Allen Smith on Why We Should Plant Trees In The Fall. The practical reason is probably the least reason to plant them, according to Allen. (Trees are dormant in the fall, so planting them then gives them ample time to recover in time for their growth period during the spring.)
You plant trees because they can live long after you, says Allen. A great example he gives is George Washington planting trees at Mount Vernon, tulip poplars which are now 200 years old and still thriving. And if chosen and positioned and allowed to grow to their full extent trees can contribute to the health of the environment.
That’s not all. If you plant the correct trees in the correct location on the west side of your house (but not so close they interfere with the structure or the utilities) then they can block solar radiation hitting your house, leading to energy savings up to 40 percent. Before buying a tree to plant, know what its height and limb spread will be at maturity so that you make the right decision.
Do you need to learn about pruning evergreen trees? If you do, then this video is for you. David Epstein of Growing Wisdom presents this video. In this video on “Pruning Evergreen Trees”, David interviews Henry Patt from Weston Nurseries. This video is worth your view. It is simply done but production quality is good. The information discussed in this video can certainly be of use to everyone. This video is very short at just two minutes and twenty-nine seconds.
If you watch this video you will gain all sorts of useful knowledge about pruning evergreens. The middle of the summer is when you should prune evergreens. Evergreens mentioned in this video are hues, boxwoods, and crippsii (Chamaecyparis Obtusa).
There are certain rules to keep in mind when pruning evergreens. When pruning, you should only prune new growth. Don’t prune too much of the old. You should remove two thirds of the old growth. This will fill the plant in more and make for a nice bushy plant. The sunlight should be able to get at all of the foliage. If an evergreen is never pruned, the top growth would overshadow the bottom growth. It is extremely important to let the lower part of the evergreen get exposed to the sun. Over a period of eight to ten years, you can start losing some bottom branches, so pruning is very important. The goal is to have a taper going up. If you don’t want your evergreen to grow any bigger, then you should prune all of this year’s growth. However, do it early on in the season – from the end of June to early July.
Here is one way to look at pruning. Pruning is the process of moving food from one area of the evergreen to another. The cutting off of new branches transfers the food to old branches.
This video is highly recommended. You have absolutely nothing to lose by watching this video. If you don’t need this information now, chances are high that you will have a use for these tips at some point down the road.