How to Prune Trees and Shrubs | NatureHills.com

Growing fruit from home opens up a brand new world of possibilities. Pies, jams and a variety of health benefits are only seasons away! However, potential growers need to make sure their fruit producers can survive long enough to bear fruit first! 

Colder climates can be rough on many fruit trees and bushes, resulting in diminishing harvests from damage done over the winter. Fortunately, many fruit trees aren’t limited to warmer climates alone. There is a variety of fruit trees that can handle heavy cold while also producing fresh fruit before the cold kills the product. 

Growing fruit in a cold climate can be hard, but Nature Hills has you covered. Within this blog are a few examples that can handle the cold n

Some plants need plenty of good air circulation for health. Fresh air will help prevent the growth of certain fungus, bacteria and molds. 

Planting sites with poor air circulation can introduce disease issues and stress your plants. Stressed plants can attract insect problems, as well. Growing conditions make a big difference in the health of your plants.

Never fear! Read on for #ProPlantTips on how to improve air circulation for plants from the Nature Hills horticulturist team.

How To Site Your Plant Correctly

Please, don’t slam your plants right up against the house, other structures, or next to other plants.

Study the mature size when selecting your plants. Get out there and measure to determine the right number of plants for the area you are planting. 

Install plants far enough apart to accommodate the size of the plant a

In this blog, you'll get expert how-to's on growing the biggest, prettiest roses possible. This really means taking the time to carefully prune your roses each year. 

And we'll give you some inspiration, too. Take a look at the hottest design trend, partnering your climbing roses with companion plants like Clematis vines. Gorgeous! 

Read on to learn more.

A Quick Review of Tips to Overwinter Roses

In the Northern cold winter states, roses go completely dormant and need winter protection.

We have found the best way to overwinter Hybrid

We asked our Horticulture Team for their best Tips and Tricks for growing healthy, delicious, gorgeous Blueberries in a permaculture garden. People across the country can successfully grow these wonderful bushes. 

There are 5 main growth habits of Blueberries, including: Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush, Lowbush, Hybrid Half-high and Rabbiteyes. These varieties range widely in chill hours, cold hardiness, different fruiting seasons, size, and flavors.

Selecting the right variety is key to successfully growing blueberries. Nature Hills offers many varieties, and one will work best for your area.

Zones 3 and 4 can grow Half-Highs, including Northblue, Northcountry and Polaris.

Zones 5 and 6 can reliably grow Northern Highbush (Vaccinium

In today’s health conscious and Instagram-ready world, the desire to grow fresh fruit and vegetables has never been greater. We’ve seen the beautiful photos of the carefully grown crops after harvest, and we want that same benefit for ourselves, our families, friends and neighbors.

Using Size Control For More Manageable Fruit Trees

Even if you select semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties, you still need to understand that pruning is one the most important aspects of growing a fruit tree.

Commercial growers use aggressive pruning techniques to control the size of a fruit tree, which results in more trees planted per acre (and a quicker return on their investment!) Keeping the trees at lower heights also makes it safer for workers and

Watch as Ed Laivo, one of America's top fruit tree experts, tells us about a tried and true technique that is perfect for the backyard gardener.

Called "High Density Planting", or "Backyard Orchard Culture", watch as Ed explains the concept and the benefits of planting 3 partner fruit trees together in 1 hole. Benefits include easier cross-pollination and extending the season of ripe fruit.

Call us to talk about which partner fruit trees are right for your garden: 1-888-864-7663

Learn how to keep your High Density Plantings pruned for size control

Ouch! This picture shows a horrible "Crape Murder."

Please, don't use heading or topping cuts to pollard Crape Myrtles, it's just won't give you that natural look you want. You'll also avoid creating those knobby knuckles, which sadly wreck the appearance of that beautiful Crape Myrtle bark.

Instead, let's watch Ed Laivo, one of Nature Hills horticulturalists, as he gives valuable information on how to correctly prune this beautiful tree.

The Right Way to Prune a Crape Myrtle

The goal is to get air circulation and sunlight into the canopy of the tree. You also want to allow your Crape Myrtle to showcase the beautiful bark as part of its character.

In the video, you'll learn when to prune Crape Myrtles, and get a step-by-step approach to determine your pruning plan. Hint, start

The goal of pruning is to improve the overall health and usefulness of a plant:

• Prune to correct broken or damaged branches.
• Prune to remove diseased portions of a plant.
• Prune to control the size and shape of a plant.
• Prune fruit trees to keep it easier to harvest the delicious fruit.

Pruning by the Pros

Plant materials grown by a quality grower will have been pruned correctly from the start, so you shouldn’t need to worry about corrective pruning for a while. A good example is shrubs. Plant nursery staff work to encourage branching lower to the ground, so the plants don’t have voids and aren’t "leggy". For trees, the nurseries prune for nice straight single leaders and uniform, open branching.

Tree Pruning Tips

After you plant your trees, you should pay attention to your plants as they

Before your fire up your weed eaters and trimmers and rampage through your yard cutting down and removing everything in sight this fall, stop! Take a step back. It’s time to reconsider your winter clean up protocol. 

Let’s take a look and change your perspective to see your winter landscape in a new way. You don’t need to cut everything down. Do you have any perennials or other plants that may offer winter interest if you left them untrimmed until after winter?

What Does Your Landscape Look Like in Winter?

Evergreens, ornamental grasses and hydrangeas definitely offer winter interest. Perennials can also add interest to the winter landscape, so don’t be too quick to cut them down. Study shapes, colors and form.

Not all dormant regions get dumped with snow. Some regions have lighter snowfalls that can highlight and sculpt the snow, cr

Watch our "Fruit Whisperer", as Ed Laivo, one of America's top fruit tree experts, answers Jill Winger's question on how to best care for her new Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree during the winter.

Planting, Managing Pests, Making the Move, Fertilizing & Watering

Ed has some really helpful hints for the home gardener in cold climates, like Wyoming (and let's not forget all the other hardy souls living in places like New York, Colorado, Minnesota, and our friends in Illinois!). If you want to grow Citrus Trees, but must bring them inside for the long winter - here's a video overview of what you need to know.

Dwarf Meyer Lemons are so much fun to grow, and they'll do well for you inside. Just follow along with Ed for the best practices.