How Not to Fear Pruning

It's almost the end of January and we are experiencing a lovely warm spell which meant temperatures of +4 Celsius here yesterday and rain.  Yes, a fair bit of it too!  Rain on icy streets is not a good combination.  

The sunrises have been vivid in corals, pinks and yellows the last couple of days and I've shed my winter jacket for my fall coat.  I'm coaxing a mandevilla vine back to health after a mealy bug attack and trying to keep my poinsettia alive.  I just can't seem to keep them happy for very long.  The only window with good light is close to the patio door which gets used several times a day for the dogs. As you know, poinsettias do not like drafts nor heat vents.  This site has both. Sigh.

Did you know the daffodils are blooming in Vancouver already?
Spring is just around the corner!!

So not a lot of exciting stuff going on at the moment.  The stores now have spring product and seeds in place.  Muttart Conservatory is featuring a Chinese New Year display which I simply must go to.  My daughter and her boyfriend went on Sunday and stayed for the fireworks which were quite good I'm told.  

How are you spending your January?  Perusing catalogs, placing orders for seeds?  I'm going to check out Greenland Garden Centre for their indoor garden display which should be completed by now.  I've been going there for years just to see their garden.  It's done on a grand scale and it certainly helps to be around plants when the world around you sleeps in a winter induced slumber.

Did you know now is the perfect time to get out in your garden to do some pruning?  Late winter is ideal for this sometimes dreaded chore because the trees are dormant and you can see the structure without the leafy canopy blurring the tree's form.  

How many of you fear pruning?  Are you afraid you'll kill the tree or prevent it from bearing fruit?  Well, you're not alone but thankfully Laura from Garden Answer has created a short video that breaks it down into easy to understand steps that will leave you confident and your trees healthy.  Laura's brief tutorial focuses on fruit trees.  Did you know apples bear fruit on old wood and plums and cherries bear fruit on new wood?  Garden Answer has the info.  Let me know if it helps.