Spring Pruning Tips

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Peggy Singlemann, host of Virginia Home Grown (https://www.vpm.org/virginia-home-grown) , all about spring pruning tips. The plant profile is on Horsetail and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on the Great Plant Swap Mishap by Christy Page of GreenPrints (https://greenprints.com/) . If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 228: Reducing Runoff with Rain Gardens https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-228-reducing.html (about:invalid#zCSafez) ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 184: Spring Garden Prep https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-183-spring.html (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/16905485/5324571566171585784#) ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 151: Clematis⁠ https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-151-clematis.html⁠ (about:invalid#zCSafez) ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 142: Hydrangea Care and Pruning https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-142-hydrangea.html (about:invalid#zCSafez) ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 93: Pruning Tips https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-93-pruning-tips.html BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!  See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support. Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store! Show Notes: 01:20 Introducing Peggy Singleman 02:45 Kathy and Peggy talk about preparing to prune 04:22 Peggy’s favorite tools 09:40 Peggy’s early spring pruning tips 11:48 “How do you know…if [a shrub or tree] needs pruning?” Kathy asks Peggy 17:04: Sealing vs. Healing 19:13 Peggy talks about “making windows” for sunlight when pruning 20:58 Kathy and Peggy discuss knowing when to stop cutting a plant 26:16 Kathy and Peggy talk about human hedging habits 28:36 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz 32:18 Pruning challenges with Forsythia 34:23 Kathy’s favorite ways to prune and uses for Forsythia clippings 39:07 Peggy talks about pruning Clematis 40:27 Clematis Expert podcast episode 41:08 Peggy talks about distinguishing and pruning Boxwood 45:06 Peggy and Kathy talk about pruning Callicarpa (American Beauty berry) 49:40 Peggy talks about pruning Red Twig Dogwood 51:30 Pruning native hollies 54:19 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 55:13 Horsetail Plant Profile 56:39 What’s new in the garden this week? 59:03 The Last Word by Christy Page: The Great Plant Swap Mishap 01:02:05 How to support the Garden DC Podcast We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode. And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too! Episode Credits: Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz Show Notes: Skylar Drew Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany Recorded on 4-5-2025.