Who does ornamental pruning in Suffolk and Nassau County on Long Island? When do we need to begin pruning our gardens? What gets pruned right before the springtime bud break on Long Island? These are the questions and some of the most important answers will follow, but know that Plant With Me locating in Huntington, NY on Long Island performs this work.
William Ackerman – Somewhere In All This Green
Hi kids. Hope that your excited about the coming spring and the explosion of life. I know that I am. As a matter of fact I am excited right now.


Just a few days ago i did some ornamental pruning on a friends Cut-leaf Japanese Maple. Yes it was march 7th and buds haven’t even begun swelling. That was perfect. It was so nice to touch the plants again. Yesterday I continued a developmental pruning on a 10 year old Weeping Mulberry. It looks great and I can’t wait to see how it will begin to respond to my manipulation. The following pictures are demonstrations of the Mulberry specimen I pruned as well as a 4 year old Weeping Mulberry I have been developing for the last few years. Please be aware that these pictures are of plants that are pruned many times throughout the year (5 to 10 times a year). Pruning with a purpose is a highly technical skill, similar to bonsai. I hope you find these trees as fascinating as I do. I hope to complete the late winter pruning on my Wisteria located in the back of my property, engulfing my pergola. Click on the previous link to see my opinion on pruning Wisteria.

This is one of the most important times of the year. The number of plant management considerations can be overwhelming. After years of pruning, transplanting, fertilizing and designing I still find it necessary to develop a plan and follow a flexible schedule that gives me the greatest amount of control over the landscape. Most landscape companies will come onto the property once or twice a season and do a superficial pruning that over a 5 to 10 year period nearly destroys the original design expectations. Most landscapes have enough diversity to warrant at least 4 pruning visits. Anyone who has Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) on their property need to know that now is the perfect time to perform a reduction on them to help their vigor and flower production (to obtain the largest flowers). This time of year, removing all the deadwood from Japanese Maples and anticipating their future development is critical to their longterm value in a mixed planting environment. Certain Hydrangeas will benefit from dead-heading, thinning and reductions to maintain their form and large flower sets. Those people who have saved leaves and garden scraps need to begin cultivating these materials, incorporating them into their gardens. Lawns need soil care to balance their PH and ornamental deciduous trees need selective pruning, developmental pruning and crown reductions, if they aren’t springtime flowering trees. I could go on for pages and address all that needs to be managed but each individual garden and landscape has it’s own unique dynamics.
Those people who desire to understand more now have the opportunity to learn and train with Plant With Me’s owner Michael Rosenberg. The following link will take you to the description of a 5 week super class for homeowners on Long Island. Garden pruning, maintenance, design, restoration, and maintenance classes. The schedule, timing and subject matter of the course is flexible, student centered and engaging.
I talk about being excited but most people won’t get that. Not about getting dirty, pruning trees, designing gardens, developing outdoor living spaces and creating landscapers you can walk around getting enveloped by the sights, sounds and smells. Or can they? You don’t have to want to do the work yourself. You don’t need to get dirty. You don’t even need to be creative. What you do need to do is imagine being Alice. You know Alice in Wonderland and experience the wonder, mystery and magic of the gardens that live, breath and move around us. That’s it. NOW YOUR LAUGHING AND SAYING, “OH, THAT’S IT…?”
If just for one moment, people would choose to call me, invite me onto their property and give me the opportunity to breath in who they are, what they desire and talk about the outdoor lives that want to experience, I could create wonderland for them. It might take a number of years and many conversations and then again it could occur in a single season. What’s your budget? What are your expectations? Whatever your need, the effort to call and meet me is worth it. A plan can evolve over a few days or a few years. NOW it is up to you. It doesn’t cost you anything other than time and I respect the value of time. What is it you desire? Call me and let me know. Alice and I are waiting.
