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Professional Pruning

I rarely resort to hiring help in the garden but I'm learning that sometimes it is wise to do so and worth every penny. Case in point - some hideous out-of-control trees that were beyond my ability to deal with. If I were smarter, I would have tackled these issues from the beginning but I didn't know better. The first is a pear tree that was planted along the back fence line. I've worked on this for the past several years, every year with the intent of reducing the height or possibly removing it altogether. As you can see in the photo, I had cut back everything but three limbs and finally realized that it would be dangerous for me to try and bring them down. The limbs grow straight up into the air and the remaining three are about 20 feet tall.  After -- there is a hole in the sky view but the tree should fill in nicely for a good screen and I can keep it trimmed down from this point forward. Farther down along the fence line, and the view from the deck, are two massive pho

Buttonbush


The Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is an unusual shrub with curious white pincushion flowers. It is found in the wild all over the United States, usually in swamps and moist areas.  Growing up in rural Alabama, I remember seeing it in the woods behind our house. It doesn't garner much attention until the blooms make their appearance. 



Sources vary on the size of the plant. In the wild, it can get to 20 feet but in gardens, most likely under 12 ft. In my garden, it is about 4 feet tall after five years in the ground. It is located along the back fence in an area that doesn't get much supplemental water although I am working on the area and watering more often this year.

The flowers have a slight honey-like fragrance. Bees love this plant!





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Anything that the bees like is a winner in my book, although if it likes moist soil it won't find a home in my garden.

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  2. Interesting. It does have a quiet elegance to it.

    In California the common name is Buttonwillow and there's an unincorporated town along I-5 in the central valley so named--the buttonwillows all gone from the area, which is intensively farmed--cotton and other such crops.

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  3. I’ve planted mine in an area that regularly floods. Doesn’t seem to mind at all. This area is quite shady, and that may be why the plant is tree-forming itself, although it’s only about 3 ft tall. I actually like the bare legs, and I’ve seen mature buttonbush “trees” online that are very striking in winter. Mine is underplanted with juncus rush and a couple small sabal minor palms.

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