Pruning: Mature / Neglected Apple Trees

Art by Olbinski

Mature trees usually already have their shape determined, so it's really up to the gardener to maintain that shape and size.

Each year you should do the following:

• Remove Dead / Diseased / Damaged branches
• Remove Crossing branches and Weak stems
• Remove any branches growing towards the centre of tree
• Remove any growing vertically or straight down
• Thin new growth to allow light to filter into the canopy
• Shorten any branches that are too long to avoid leggy growth
• Shape tree evenly and remember apples flower and fruit on old wood, so head back new growth to direct energy back into the flowers and fruit
• If in the last year too many apples have formed and crowded each other out, thin the spurs to only a few per branch. This will allow enough light and air to circulate around which will avoid disease and small fruit.

Neglected
If you've purchased a house where an apple tree was planted on the property several years before hand chances are the previous owners did not take the time to properly prune the tree. The tree may have become bushy and weak and may not be producing top quality apples. Such a tree requires extensive corrective pruning.

The main objective in pruning such a tree is to open up the canopy and allow light and air to circulate throughout the tree.

The first step is to remove all the upright, vigorous growing shoots at their base that are shading the interior. As with the young apple trees, it is necessary to select 3 to 5 lower branches spaced around the tree.

In most cases it is advisable to spread the corrective pruning over two to three seasons. Where severe pruning is done in the winter, the tree should not be fertilised that spring. 


Pruning: How To Prune Apple Trees Between Autumn And Spring

Derian Decoupage

As a child I loved arts and crafts - homemade Christmas decorations; paper mache Halloween masks, model making with lolly sticks, they're just some I can recall. My favourite was collecting 'pre-cut scraps', swapping them with friends and carefully arranging them in a scrapbook. I can still recall those angelic-looking children, fashionably dressed Victorian ladies, flowers in ornate baskets, kittens, shoes and cherubs. No surprise then that I ended up working in a creative environment garden designing and planting my way around Ireland. Such fond memories.

Decoupage was also a favourite. Its quite a simple and inexpensive hobby! Great for recyling old magazines! If you can cut and paste, you already know most of the techniques involved. Basically, you cut out a picture and glue it onto the object, you then cover with a few coats of sealer to protect it. Of course I was never able to produce such amazing pieces like designer John Derian

I always wanted a piece of decoupage, but never actually bought one. Every time I saw the imagery and the detail, I was tempted. Browsing in a shop in London a couple of years back, my enthusiasm was curbed when I purchased my first paperweight designed lovingly by John Derian.

His collection of dome paperweights are a very reasonable £40 sterling each. At that price, I can afford to purchase and build up a nice collection in a couple of years.

Cats versus Dogs

It has always amazed me how many gardeners have dogs, after all one doesn't associate pets with gardening, or least I didn't!  Although initially a cat lover over the years I have become very fond of dogs and I now have a 11 year old collie called Wuffles.  

Intrigued as to the differences I sourced this on the internet.  

Enjoy......