How to Prune Trees and Shrubs Before Winter

Burning Bush

Burning Bush leaves turn a brilliant shade of fiery red in autumn, adding a splash of color and drama to the landscape. This seasonal transformation makes it an excellent focal point or accent plant in any garden or backyard, providing a captivating view as the weather turns cooler. It is a versatile and visually striking shrub with numerous landscaping benefits. Its unique characteristics and adaptability make it popular among gardeners and landscape designers. It is named after its bright red fall colors, which make for an incredible display. This large, rounded shrub has become ubiquitous in American gardens, forests, and landscaping. Typically planted in spring, it grows somewhat slowly, but if correctly cared for, it can last for many decades.  Where Does Burning Bush Grow Officially designated as Euonymus alatus, they are native to northeastern Asia, specifically Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. It was initially introduced in the United States and Canada for display and has remained popular ever since. They thrive best in forests or thickets, where they can receive a good balance between sunlight, shade, and somewhat moist conditions. It can grow well in many soil types and, therefore, can adapt well to different kinds of woodlands. Today, people commonly plant them alongside fences, roadsides, commercial plazas, and the borders of forests. They can grow from ten to twenty feet tall and equally wide. The stems of this shrub have four ‘wings,’ from which the distinctive deep red leaves grow. Each leaf can grow up to three inches long and one inch wide. When the blooms in the late spring to early summer, you’ll notice the green-looking flower. By late summer to early fall, the fruits manifest as red, round berries enclosed in an orange or yellow capsule. Why Do Gardeners Like Burning Bush Gardeners mainly like the Burning Bush's bold and sprightly bright red appearance. Beyond that, it’s a very adaptable shrub that does well in only moderately moist soil and with partial shade from the sun. It will need weekly pruning to help ensure it remains a manageable size. By the fall, the brilliant red display of the shrub will be at its brightest and most alluring, which is precisely what people who plant this shrub look forward to the most. Burning Bush Blooms A Yellow-Green Bloom They bloom each year from late May through June. The blooms feature small flowers that are usually a yellow-green color. The dense, green foliage of the bushes often obscures the appearance of these flowers. During spring, the leaves become blue and bright red in the fall. From July through October, the flowers mature, turning into small red fruits. The leaves produce a green-brown hue during the winter. The bushes can reach up to 20 feet and be just as wide. Most have multiple corky-textured stems and branches and four ridges resembling square corners. Because of their attractive foliage and spherical shape, they make great focal points in yards and gardens. Their bright crimson leaves and berries add lots of vibrancy to outdoor areas in spring and summer. You can plant a single bush to stand alone or several together to create more extensive decorative accents. They feature a dense, bushy growth habit, making them ideal for creating neat, defined borders and edges. Because of their broad shape, the bushes are suitable for planting in containers around flowerbeds. You can easily prune them to keep the desired border size and shape. Because drought-tolerant, you can even use them in areas with limited soil moisture. Burning Bush Has thick foliage that creates natural privacy. They can create a tall barrier to block views from nearby houses. Their dense foliage remains all year, giving you year-round privacy. These bushes usually grow about a foot each year. Because of how quickly they grow, they are handy for bridging spaces between flower beds, increasing the seclusion they provide. They are easy to shape to the height and density you wish to attain your desired privacy.

Sweet Bay Magnolia

The Sweet Bay Magnolia is a medium-sized evergreen tree with highly fragrant white flowers and elliptical leaves, often found in wetlands and coastal areas. It is a versatile and visually appealing tree that offers a range of benefits when incorporated into landscaping projects. This magnolia species contributes to the aesthetic beauty, structure, and functionality of outdoor spaces with distinctive features and adaptability. One of the standout benefits of using it in landscaping is its graceful appearance. Sweet Bay Magnolia, also known as the "beaver tree," "castor-wood," and "swamp sassafras," is an ornamental, semi-evergreen plant known for its fragrant flowers, scarlet-red fruit, and lush foliage. Colonists introduced the plant into European gardens in the late 1600s, where it was welcomed with open arms. The Native Habitat Of Sweet Bay Magnolia Native to the eastern and southeastern Atlantic coasts of the United States, it grows naturally in swamps and shaded and open woodlands. This late-blooming tree flower from late April to July can bear fruit from July through October. The Appearance Of Sweet Bay Magnolia It can reach 10 to 35 feet tall, sometimes a 50-foot height in the deep South. Its compound, slender, upright trunks branch out horizontally and support shiny, three-to-six-inch-long oblong leaves that are dark green on top with silvery-white undersides. They contrast with the plant's creamy-white, cup-shaped blooms that scent the air with a delicate, sweet, lemony fragrance. Each solitary blossom has up to twelve petals and is two to three inches long. The flowers will open after dawn and close up at twilight, lasting two to three days. Fruits appear later as clusters of bright red seeds. Gardeners appreciate it for its ornamental appeal in a variety of landscape designs. It works well in extensive gardens and along woodland edges. The tree is adaptable enough to suit patios and borders where its aromatic fragrance can be appreciated. Wetter sites near ponds can also accommodate this plant nicely. Since the blooming season is relatively late, frost is rarely a concern. The Ecology Of Sweet Bay Magnolia Those who want to enhance biodiversity in their landscapes will find that Sweet Bay Magnolia makes a beautiful habitat for birds and small mammals. The tree's fruit attracts a variety of songbirds, woodpeckers, wild turkeys, bobwhite quail, and many more species. Many birds use the plant's leaves to construct their nests. Squirrels and chipmunks also find food and shelter in the magnolia's dense foliage, and deer browse its leaves and twigs yearly. If you're looking for a handsome plant that will bring aromatic beauty to your yard, it will surely bring pleasure for many seasons.

Green Giant Arborvitae

Green Giant Arborvitae is a fast-growing evergreen tree with vibrant, emerald-green foliage, a tall, columnar shape, and dense branching. It is a popular choice for privacy screens and windbreaks in landscaping. It is a highly advantageous and versatile evergreen tree widely used in landscaping. Belonging to the Cupressaceae family, this tree offers many benefits, making it an excellent choice for various outdoor spaces. Green Giant Arborvitae gets its name from its vast size. They can expand as towering as 60 feet with a diameter of 18 or more feet. These massive trees are part of the Cupressaceae or cypress family. Their scientific name is Thuja standishii x plicata. Although, that's often shorted to just the Thuja. This evergreen started in 1967 when a single tree made its way to the U.S. National Arboretum from Denmark. Recognizing the positive landscaping qualities of this evergreen, propagations were sent out. Today, it's known for its ability to adapt to numerous climates. The Hybrid Green Giant Arborvitae The Thuja standishii x plicata is a hybrid tree. It was created in Denmark in 1937, using the Thuja Plicate or Western Red Cedar and the Thuja Standishii or Japanese type. While it was being sent out from the U.S. National Arboretum, The massive evergreen was confused with the T. Occidentalis Giganteoides. Luckily, three botanists from the New York Botanic Garden, USNA, and Holden Arboretum uncovered the tree's true roots. Once its true roots were known, it was given its current name to delineate it from other similar evergreen trees. Green Giant Arborvitae Is A Fast Grower  The Thuja standishii x plicata has a fast growth rate of three to five feet per year. At thirty years old, it averages 30 feet in height and can continue to grow up to 60 feet. It's characterized by its cone shape and the uniform appearance of its foliage. Green Giant Arborvitae Does Well In Parks  Due to its massive size, this tree does well in large yards and parks where Leyland Cypress may not be desirable. Benefits of the Thuja Standishii X Plicata The Thuja standishii x plicata keeps its color all year, even through winter. Gardeners with large yards can plant these evergreens to create natural privacy barriers. These trees attract deer who forage for food, and birds tend to make their nests in them. Gardeners and landscapers love the Green Giant Arborvitae for its rapid growth and ability to create privacy screens. These trees work best for more significant properties.