Introduction

Select the best plants to keep in the garden, and help them grow by pruning.

1. DIG UP A PLANT AND EXAMINE ITS ROOTS.

Before you dig up a plant to examine its roots, make sure it’s not established in the ground. If the plant has been there for more than two years, it may be too late to remove it without killing it.

To remove a healthy plant:

• Dig around the root ball with a shovel or spade until you can see the perimeter of what will become your new division. You’ll want to leave as much soil as possible around each division so that they can establish themselves quickly when replanted in their own pots or beds.
• Carefully pull out any plants that aren’t being removed from their containers and carefully loosen them from any container (like peat pots) you’ve used to hold them upright in your garden bed.

2. IF A PLANT HAS TOO MANY CLOSE SIBLINGS, IT IS TIME TO CULL SOME.

If a plant has too many close siblings, it is time to cull some. Plants that are often guilty of this are hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and viburnums. When you look at your plants in summer or fall and see one with lots of little leafy shoots coming out from the base of the plant (or even from below ground), then it’s probably time for a bit of pruning.

These types of plants grow from underground rhizomes instead of seeds and tend to send up lots of vertical stems (stems that grow straight up). If left unchecked these vertical stems can grow straight through other nearby plants and crowd them out before they have an opportunity to put down roots and produce healthy foliage themselves.

When it comes to these kinds of shade-loving shrubs you want them spaced apart so each gets plenty of room for its own root system—and not just because they’ll spread faster when given more room!

Choose only the best plants to keep in the garden

• Remove plants that have died.
• Remove plants that are weak and not thriving, or those with diseased foliage.
• Remove plants that are too close together, resulting in overcrowding and shade for other nearby plants.
• Remove plants that are too far apart, resulting in an overabundance of sunlight exposure on the bare soil space between them and potentially exposing more tender new growth to scorching sunrays if there aren’t enough leaves around to provide shade at midday.

Conclusion

Culling plants is an important part of plant care. It allows you to focus your attention on the plants that will thrive in your garden and remove those that are struggling or unhealthy. Having a healthy, vibrant garden means choosing only the best plants to keep in it!