Page 47 - AreaNewsletters "June 2021" issue

A Perennials Class at the Extension O ce Demonstration Garden in Castle Rock.
too big? You can give it a little haircut which will reduce its size a bit. Look up ‘reduction cuts’ on the internet. Do not just take your trusty hedge trimmers and shear over the top. You will cause heavy top growth which shades the inside, blocking light, and also increases snow damage due to the weight of the snow weighing down the top of the shrub.
If the shrub’s size is really
getting hard to control, I have
sad news for you: it is most
likely bound and determined
to grow big, really big, and chances are it was planted in the wrong spot. You may have to exercise tough love and remove it and plant something more suited to the space. One caveat: the label says “height 3 ft”. That does not mean that the shrub just magically stops growing when it reaches three feet! This is “nursery talk” and means that the shrub will be three feet tall at “landscape maturity,” or after seven to ten years (usually, but maturity is not a regulated term). So in other words, it grows slowly. Humans stop growing after 17 years or so, shrubs do not. But of course you may not care what happens after ten years. Right now we’re just trying to survive a pandemic!
There are exceptions to the “pruning rules” for some shrubs. For example, Blue Mist Spirea can be cut back to about a foot to talk it into blooming so much better and brighter, or Russian Sage which you can cut back to about six inches. As for
the grasses, cut them back as soon as you see green growth. If you can, cut it back very short (unless there is a lot of green already). This will allow sunlight into the crown and prevent rot as well as coaxing it to make new growth.
Want to see some shrubs in action, or talk to someone about gardening? Consider visiting one of Douglas County’s four demonstration gardens ( nd their locations at douglas.extension. colostate.edu), or contact the Colorado Master Gardeners at DCMGardenR@gmail.com, 720- 733-6935. We love to talk ‘garden’!
Brought to you by Colorado State University Master GardenersSM. Contact the help desk: dcmgardenr@ gmail.com and visit extension.colostate.edu.
720-733-6935
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Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” • June 2021