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It rains again. The garden is loving it. Not only perennials but shrubs and trees have gotten off to a wonderful start and things look so lush and healthy.
Some plants are all so big other plants are hidden under them and therefore are not getting enough light to survive.
What to do?
Ask yourself if this is an unusual year. Will we have the same amount of rain next year when garden will grow just as big? Or, will next year be different? Will it be hot and dry and we have no rain?
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I went around my garden and made a list of hidden plants or plants I thought might need to get moved. This will help me decide if I have room to move any of these plants somewhere else. Many of my plants were gifts or special for one reason or another and therefore I have a hard time getting rid of them. I do not want to make my gardens any bigger. It already takes a good eight to 10 hours a week to maintain what I do have.
So, for this year, I have started removing leaves from some of my perennials to give the plants around them some room. For example, I cut about eight or 10 leaves off my hosta to allow some room for the coral bell being hidden underneath. I trimmed back some of the lower branches on my ninebark to give room for the smaller hostas planted in front. I did the same to my butterfly bush that was hiding the shasta daisies.
I used the same rule of thumb that I use when I prune. I remove no more than about a third of the overall plant’s size. I start by taken two or three branches or stems or leaves off and see if that works. Then, if need be, I remove one or two more. You may have to do this a few times during the growing season as plants flower and grow.
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