landscape - Winshire Green

The Best Time to Prune Trees and Shrubs

How many times have you paused to admire beautiful gardens nearby? The trees and shrubs complete the picture of a perfect home. In well-managed gardens, you will notice how the trees and shrubs look like a work of art. Breathtakingly beautiful, this is because they are well maintained and pruned.

Pruning is all about removing unwanted parts of the tree to improve its growth. When removing dead or overgrown branches and parts of the trees or shrubs that may have been affected by a disease a more favorable growing environment is being cultivated. Pruning trees and shrubs improves growth and beauty, and increases the tree’s lifespan. However, doing it at the wrong time can have negative consequences.

The pruning process requires some time and effort. Here are some helpful tips you can use when deciding when you should prune trees and shrubs:

Pruning trees before Spring

Generally, early spring is a great time for pruning. Winter is a horrific time for trees and shrubs, as they are exposed to harsh weather elements, and some trees may not survive. Inspect your garden after winter to identify trees that need to be pruned in early spring. The main indicators to decide which trees will be pruned are the presence of dead or broken branches or trees that show signs of early bloom. Pruning trees just before the flowers bloom removes the parts of the trees that can hinder its bloom, if this happens, you may not witness the tree in all its beauty that year.

Trees that have shed their leaves

Some trees shed all their leaves in autumn. When all the leaves have fallen off, and the branches are exposed, it is time to do some pruning. It would be best if you made quick plans to prune before the winter season starts. The exposed branches make it easy to see which are crossed or dying. Also, if you need the tree to have a particular shape, you can prune branches to achieve the appearance you desire.

Windy seasons

If you live in an area prone to strong windy seasons, it will be best to prune trees in your garden before the winds begin. In this case, your goal is to prune thick branches that can be broken during strong winds. Broken branches can fall on your home or car cause other damage.

Trees with stunted growth

If some of your favorite trees in the garden show signs of stunted growth, you should prune some of the branches. These are probably trees that thrive on regrowth after cutting off branches that may be preventing the tree from thriving.

It is also necessary to identify your reason for pruning. Do you want the tree to grow bigger or control its size or shape? Your decision will help you plan the pruning process accordingly.

Pruning at any moment may not lead to your desired results. In fact, you may make the situation worse, and your tree or shrub may not survive. Alternatively, pruning at the perfect time will create a favorable growing environment for your tree or shrub to flourish. Following just a few simple rules or guidelines, can help immensely when trying to produce a thriving garden.

Also read our post: How to Keep Your Houseplants Healthy During Winter

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Ten Reasons to Get a Fire Pit for Your Home

Having fire pits in the backyard of homes is an increasingly popular trend and for good reason. Fire pits make for an interesting feature around the house, and provide countless opportunities for entertaining friends and family. If you have been thinking about adding an interesting feature to your home, consider adding a fire pit.

Here are 10 good reasons to get a fire pit:

1. Attract crowds

One of the best reasons to have a fire pit around the house is they are a good way of attracting a crowd. Whether you have friends or relatives over, or just want to hang out with neighbors, people like gathering around a fire to discuss events or share stories.

2. Utilize unused space

If you have unused space outside of your house, whether it is a large portion of your lawn or a corner of your backyard, you can use a fire pit to utilize that space. Fire pits can be large or small, and they can fit in a variety of spaces.

3. Usable for every occasion

The great benefit of having a fire pit in your backyard is that they can be used year-round. Whether you’re having a family dinner, celebration, or just a gathering of friends, fire pits can liven up the evening. The usage of fire pits is not seasonal; you can gather around the pit during winter nights for warmth while sipping coffee, and you can sit out on starry nights during the summer and cook barbecue or make s’mores.

4. Versatile fuel options

Fire pits can work with a variety of different fuels. You can have a traditional wood fire pit, which is easy to set up and run, but can cause air pollution. You can also have fire pits that run on natural gas or propane, which may be more expensive depending on where you get your wood; but, they don’t create as much pollution.

5. Increase house value

A major advantage of installing a fire pit is that it can increase the value of your home. Buyers will pay more for a house that has additional backyard feature such as a fire pit. Adding an outdoor feature that makes the space more usable will also help a house on the market sell quickly.

6. Creative landscaping

Fire pits can be useful simply for their aesthetic value. They add interest to your patio or backyard, and you can use the opportunity to show off your creative landscaping skills. Fire pits come in all sizes and shapes: round, rectangular, square, and more. There are also a variety of rock designs to choose from.

7. Easy to clean

As compared to indoor fireplaces, outdoor fire pits are much easier to manage and are lower maintenance. For one, you don’t have to worry much about cleaning it if they are gas powered. And even if they burn wood, you can still leave the half-burnt logs where they are, ready to be used next time. And since they are already outdoors, you won’t have to worry much about ash and soot making a mess.

8. Environmentally friendly

Natural gas and propane fire pits are environment friendly. They produce no smoke and are odorless. Besides, a fire in a gas fire pit may burn hotter than wood, giving out a much more constant heat since new logs don’t need to be added to the fire.

9. Fire pits can be used to cook food

If you don’t feel like cooking inside the house, fire pits can provide a nice change in scenery and you can cook food or barbecue on a grill while chatting with friends or neighbors.

10. Easy to start and run

You can get a gas-based fire pit up and running in literally no time at all. All it takes is the flick of a switch, or a flame from a lighter or match, to light the fire. You can control the amount of heat you need, and don’t have to worry about constantly adding firewood.

Do you already have a fire pit? What is your favorite thing about it? Let us know in the comments section below.