Hedging your bets (or betting your hedges)

Uplighting is the most commonly used garden lighting technique, for shrub borders and trees especially. By uplighting trees, one exploits a unique opportunity to add vertical emphasis and drama in a garden lighting scheme. Trees with an open habit allow light to fully display the branch structure, while the contrast of colour between subjects can be emphasised. The light coloured bark of a silver birch, the coppery stems of Prunus serrula Tai-Haku, the golden fern-like foliage of Gleditsia triacanthos “Sunburst” or the subtle green and white striped bark of Acer pensylvanicum are all examples of good lighting subjects.

1. When your plants arrive, trim roots and stems that are damaged. Clean cuts lessen the chance of disease.

2. When you dig your planting hole, reserve the topsoil for when you are filling in around the roots. The less good stuff will go back in the bottom of the hole…

You maybe aware that our conker trees (Aesculus hippocastanum and its varieties) are under threat. The horse chestnut leaf miner grub eats the tissue between the outer layers of the leaves, reducing their ability to breathe and ultimately causing them to fall off. At the same time Horse Chestnut Leaf Blotch - a fungal condition is having exactly the same effect.  If your chestnut is shedding its leaves now, you know why.

Cordons should be pruned every year around mid August (i.e. about now). Your cordon is ready for pruning when the new side shoots from the main stem(s) become woody at their base. Shorten all of this new growth from the main stem to 3 or 4 leaves above the basal cluster of leaves at the base of the shoot - see the diagram below.
Where a shoot from the main stem has a side shoot coming of it, prune this also - to one leaf above the cluster of leaves its base.