Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jun 20, 2011 11:46 am Toparius, Fu or anyone in the know,
I have just planted a lovely Agonis "after dark" in a spot thats probably best suited to a tree/shrub up to three metres high. Now the agonis label says up to 6m which i doubt it will get to over east but still probably more than the 2-3m I prefer. What is the best way to control the tree to keep it small but in it's natural weeping state rather than a hard clipped look like a hedge/topiary? Is there a bosani style training technique or such you can use on a tree planted in the ground? Thanks, Beatrix Re: Controlling tree height 2Jun 20, 2011 2:39 pm BeatrixKiddo Toparius, Fu or anyone in the know, I have just plant a lovely Agonis "after dark" in a spot thats probably best suited to a tree/shrub up to three metres high. Now the agonis label says up to 6m which i doubt it will get to over east but still probably more than the 2-3m I prefer. What is the best way to control the tree to keep it small and in it's natural weeping state rather than a hard clipped look like a hedge/topiary? Is there a bosani style training technique or such you can use on a tree planted in the ground? Thanks, Beatrix Honestly I think you'd be better off planting the right size bush in the first place Anyway you could take out the crown of the tree - but maybe someone else will have better info Re: Controlling tree height 3Jun 20, 2011 3:07 pm I reckon that's a good question. I've seen labels that say "grows to 2-5 metres" or something and I've thought that's ideal if it grows to the lower height but what will I do if it gets to 3 metres or 4 metres . . . . Re: Controlling tree height 4Jun 20, 2011 3:13 pm Hi Trish, I knew at the start it was the wrong size but I want this tree's particular texture,form and colour even if it won't last in that position. I know the agonis can be happily manipulated into hedges and the like, so it can just be clipped to height, but i was wondering if there was other techniques to keep its natural form. Hi JazzyJess, The labels take into consideration where its planted (climate/water/soil etc) eg. Native frangipani in qld will get 10 times bigger than in victoria hence the height range. But honestly I would forget what the labels say, plants/trees just keep growing, I have so many that are way bigger than the label reads its not funny. Re: Controlling tree height 5Jun 20, 2011 3:35 pm I'd like to know this too, good Q. I was talking to a council arborist, and they told me that the labels will say "to 8m", but in reality (=in backyards) "it will only reach 5m". Not sure what to believe. From my experience with small plants and flowers, I reckon take the highest estimate and then add 50cm , but not sure about trees! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Controlling tree height 6Jun 20, 2011 4:30 pm BeatrixKiddo Toparius, Fu or anyone in the know, I have just planted a lovely Agonis "after dark" in a spot thats probably best suited to a tree/shrub up to three metres high. Now the agonis label says up to 6m which i doubt it will get to over east but still probably more than the 2-3m I prefer. What is the best way to control the tree to keep it small but in it's natural weeping state rather than a hard clipped look like a hedge/topiary? Is there a bosani style training technique or such you can use on a tree planted in the ground? Thanks, Beatrix Hi Beatrix,you can cut out the centre stem once it reaches the height you want and then start training it.For example any branches that are already weeping you can go to any node on the branch and make a straight cut and you will get between 3 and 5 new branches growing down so if you do this on a number of branches you will have a really solid weeper.If you send me your email as a pm I shall send you a chart of directional cuts so you can see the results you get from any cut you make.I still cannot get photos uploaded onto Home One . Topiarius Re: Controlling tree height 7Jun 20, 2011 8:17 pm Great, thanks for the advice Topiarius I will have a read and probably pick your brain some more.
Cheers, Beatrix. Re: Controlling tree height 8Jun 20, 2011 8:23 pm Hi Topiarius, Could you just clarify to me the "weeping" concept?? Do you simply mean the side branches (ie. anything other than the central stem, if the tree has one in the first place )? What I consider "weeping" are the trees with branches that bend or hang downward, like a willow. Also, if BK gets the diagrams, could he be soooo nice to post them here for the greater good? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Controlling tree height 9Jun 20, 2011 9:44 pm Lex Hi Topiarius, Could you just clarify to me the "weeping" concept?? Do you simply mean the side branches (ie. anything other than the central stem, if the tree has one in the first place )? What I consider "weeping" are the trees with branches that bend or hang downward, like a willow. Also, if BK gets the diagrams, could he be soooo nice to post them here for the greater good? Hi Lex,by weeping I mean branches that hang down towards the ground.If you have branches that come out horizontally and you want them to "weep" more,go to a node nearest to where you want it to weep from and make an angled cut but make sure that the wound is on top and the new growth will come from the"hard face" and grow downwards. Topiarius Re: Controlling tree height 13Jun 21, 2011 11:52 pm Yep, I view plant tags as a crock, but then again Toparius and I know a bit about the plants and you guys may not Anyway, as I have spent sooooo many posts trying to explain we can make plants grow how we want them to. In fact by doing so you are going to get better plants than you thought possible. Toparius is a genius with this and this isn't information you are going to find on the net very easily, if at all. As well as choosing a plant you like, get that soil right. It's the most important thing to control the health and speed at which this specimen will grow. zeolite, perlite/spongolite, humus rich compost. Mulch to 10cm with tree lopper mulch. (no its not too thick) Re: Controlling tree height 14Jun 22, 2011 8:05 am OK, will pruning (especially like this) work on murraya paniculata?? I've been struggling to find its nodes anywhere closer to the ground - the lower part of the plant is totally woody (not green) and the plant has gone leggy and very, very airy (not dense at all) plus it only has 2 or 3 main branches. I want to make the plant more bushy from the bottom up, but I can't see any nodes on this lower part of the plant. What do I do??? Is it beyond saving?? I don't want to cut the whole main branch close to the ground and then find it can't grow back!! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Controlling tree height 15Jun 22, 2011 6:43 pm BeatrixKiddo The labels take into consideration where its planted (climate/water/soil etc) eg. Native frangipani in qld will get 10 times bigger than in victoria hence the height range. But honestly I would forget what the labels say, plants/trees just keep growing, I have so many that are way bigger than the label reads its not funny. I've been told so before and undoubtedly its true some of the time but it doesn't explain how sometimes two of the same plants in comparable positions in the same garden can differ. I suppose they don't pay any attention to their labels either. Thank you for Topiaruses diagram! Re: Controlling tree height 16Jun 22, 2011 9:29 pm Lex OK, will pruning (especially like this) work on murraya paniculata?? I've been struggling to find its nodes anywhere closer to the ground - the lower part of the plant is totally woody (not green) and the plant has gone leggy and very, very airy (not dense at all) plus it only has 2 or 3 main branches. I want to make the plant more bushy from the bottom up, but I can't see any nodes on this lower part of the plant. What do I do??? Is it beyond saving?? I don't want to cut the whole main branch close to the ground and then find it can't grow back!! Hi Lex,one thing to try first is to make a wound on the stem. Just under the bark there is a thin membrane so if you cut through the bark and the membrane without cutting the inside trunk you should get a new branch sprout.I would only start with one cut first to see if you get a result. If you do not the I would then go to the lowest brance and do an angled cut with the wound on top so the new branch grows downwards. When it gets down the the level you want then do another angled cut with the wound on the inside so the new branch grows out horizontally and then work that branch to get the thickness you want.Then do the same to other branches around the plant so it is completely solid.I know it sounds long winded but Topiary can not be rushed. For example an 8ft. Grape tree would take about ten years to grow!!! But I do not mind waiting for a perfect plant that nobody else has. Topiarius Re: Controlling tree height 17Jun 23, 2011 8:32 am Thanks very much, T Had no idea about the secret of the bark ... I hope it works as I'm worried that if I go on and apply the real cuts (like you explained), that I actually won't get new growth (as there are no visible nodes !!!), plus, I've cut off a whole good bearing branch My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Controlling tree height 18Jun 23, 2011 10:55 am Lex Thanks very much, T Had no idea about the secret of the bark ... I hope it works as I'm worried that if I go on and apply the real cuts (like you explained), that I actually won't get new growth (as there are no visible nodes !!!), plus, I've cut off a whole good bearing branch Hi Lex,the beauty of Topiary is that even if you make a wrong cut it is still going to grow and will come back better than you started with so you can then correct it. Topiarius Re: Controlling tree height 19Jun 23, 2011 11:23 am Fu Manchu Yep, I view plant tags as a crock, but then again Toparius and I know a bit about the plants and you guys may not Anyway, as I have spent sooooo many posts trying to explain we can make plants grow how we want them to. In fact by doing so you are going to get better plants than you thought possible. Toparius is a genius with this and this isn't information you are going to find on the net very easily, if at all. As well as choosing a plant you like, get that soil right. It's the most important thing to control the health and speed at which this specimen will grow. zeolite, perlite/spongolite, humus rich compost. Mulch to 10cm with tree lopper mulch. (no its not too thick) That is absolutly correct Fu.Whenever you go to a Nursery and buy a plant the staff should tell you how to treat the soil and how to maintain the plant so that it always looks perfect. It does not matter what type of soil you have you can always improve it. When we lived in South Yeman people were amazed that we had a Rose garden. Topiarius Re: Controlling tree height 20Jun 28, 2011 8:27 am I've just read the topiary sticky again and some other threads about tree height and I'm getting an idea into my head. Can I plant trees in my garden which normally tend to become large over time - and just keep them the height I want by pruning properly? I'm thinking of a Fig tree and a Black Mulberry for starters. Thanks for the fabulous diagram on cuts, Mike. Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9529 Fellow Perth dweller. Looks like pruns nigra. It's a dark leaf flowering plum. Doesn't get massive and is easily trimmed deciduous tree. Very popular in small gardens in Perth 7 2764 |