Here in the Pacific Northwest our mild climate allows us to grow many fine spring flowering and summer fruiting trees. Although not often planted, and not nearly as popular as the flowering cherry tree, the flowering crab apple provides both spring flowers and persistent ornamental fruit into winter.

 In full bloom, flowering crab apple offers a spectacular clouds of flowers in white, light pink, or a deep pink that is nearly magenta. The small and colorful fruit that follows, hangs on the branches for months, and it is the birds that pick them, right off the branches. But despite their beauty, in the past, I rarely included them in landscape designs because crab apples were very disease prone here in the PNW. There are five diseases of concern; fire blight, cedar apple rust, mildew, and scab. 

 It was well known that crab apple trees varied widely in their susceptibility to these diseases. Some cultivars showing surprising resistance and other tragic susceptibility. With this knowledge, plant growers developed new cultivars selected specifically for disease resistance and the improvements are remarkable.  Many of the new cultivars have good to excellent disease resistant ratings to all four of the diseases noted above.

 Another important feature of the new disease resistant cultivars is their compact habit that is desirable in suburban landscapes.  These beautiful trees are small in stature when mature, many grow only 10 to15 feet tall. The fruit of flowering crab apples was also improved. Not only are the crab apples a colorful red or orange, they hang on the branches well into fall and winter. This a big bonus for those who want to attract birds to their landscape.

 Plant crab apple in full sun. They prefer the hot afternoon sun when possible. They thrive in our naturally acidic soils found here in the PNW; and even grow well in compacted stuff that passes for soil in most suburbs. 

 Spending a little time on research before you shop for crab apples certainly pays – if you know what to ask for.  I have created a  list of cultivars that have high to excellant  disease resistance rating.   Most cultivars in the table are sold at local nurseries. But, not all nurseries have all the cultivars in the list. Choose the right cultivar and you will have a tree that is disease free but will bring three seasons of color, texture, and interest to your landscape.

Here is the list:

David, Firebird, Lollipop, Prairefire, Red Baron, Snowdrift, Sugartime, Adirondack, Centurion, Sargent Tina, Strawberry Parfait, and Sargent

The last days of winter were cold. So cold, it felt like winter was just beginning rather than ending. In spite of the cold temperatures, many plants forged ahead to assure me that spring was indeed just around the corner. For example, Osoberry a native shrub, is blooming now.

Osoberry is a large shrub that grows along the rivers, streams and lakes in the South Sound. It is a very common shrub that you may notice even growing along roadsides. Osoberry is the first native shrub to bloom each year; its small white flowers are always welcome. The blooming Osoberry tells me that spring has arrived.

 After the Osoberry, red flowering currant is the next native plant to bloom. The flowers of the red flowering currant are an important source of nectar for the hummingbirds that visit Washington each year. It appears that hummingbirds synchronize their schedules with the appearance of the red flowering currant and salmonberry flowers. I rarely notice the hummingbirds until the red flowering currants begin to bloom.  Is it possible that the hummingbirds time their arrival to coincide with the blooming cycle of this native shrub?

Very adaptable, red flowering currant tolerates a variety of soils including heavy clay.  It blooms prolifically when planted in a sunny location, but it also tolerates light shade. The striking raspberry-red flowers attract lots of attention in any garden.  Most nurseries sell out of this native shrub each year. If you want to plant one in your garden this spring, be sure to buy one soon before they sell out.  Nurseries also sell a white flowering currant called ‘Icicle’ that is also popular, but I am not sure it will attract hummingbirds. Red and white flowering currants are large shrubs growing quickly to 8 feet tall and wide

 Another early blooming shrub is flowering quince.  A favorite of hummingbirds, flowering quince blooms four to six weeks.  Flowering quince is an ‘old fashion’ plant. You are more likely to find it growing in your grandmothers gardens rather than our own gardens. Many varieties of quince are large, growing ten to twelve feet tall and wide. However, smaller compact varieties are now available. Flowers vary in color from red to reddish orange to salmon.

 If you are like me and crave shrubs that bloom early to reassure you that spring is still on schedule, add red flowering currant and quince to your garden. Other early blooming plants include camellia, forsythia, hellebore and the wonderfully fragrant evergreen clematis. 

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I wish I could stop by your garden and show you how to prune your flowering shrubs, but that just is not possible. The next best option is to help you understand plant growth and provide a few pruning tips before you pull out your pruners. The most common question I hear, how come my favorite (you can fill in the blanks here)  did not bloom this year? And I always answer with a question: When was the last time you pruned it?

 The biggest misunderstanding about pruning is that all shrubs and trees are pruned when dormant in winter or early spring. Well, to set the record straight, that simply is not true. If you prune flowering shrubs such as lilacs, forsythia, azaleas, and rhododendrons, now  in winter you will be removing the flower buds and be greatly disappointed when they do not bloom this spring. Many – but not all – flowering shrubs whether deciduous or evergreen, bloom on old wood. Old wood are branches that grew the previous year.

 In contrast, some flowering shrubs bloom on the current years growth, this includes: roses, butterfly bush, lavatera, and some – but not all- hydrangeas. Below I have created two lists; flowering shrubs that bloom on old wood and are best pruned just after they flower; and flowering shrubs that bloom on the current seasons growth and are best when dormant. 

 Now that you have a better understanding of when to prune, the next logical question is: How do I prune my flowering shrubs? We have all seen ancient lilac bushes 12 to 15 feet tall with all the blossoms out of reach.  In this situation I favor a pruning technique called thinning; using this technique you can rejuvenate an old leggy flowering shrubs without sacrificing the spring flowers. Thinning is a very simple technique, you prune out 1/3 of the oldest or largest branches from the center of the shrub. Prune out the entire branch, and take it down to 12 inches from the ground. Repeat this for three years and at the end of three years you will have a completely rejuvenated shrub that will not require pruning again for many years. Thinning is also recommended for old blueberry bushes that produce very few berries.

 For fast growing-summer blooming shrubs such as butterfly bush, and lavatera, I use a technique called pollarding. The term pollarding means to encourage new growth. Brace yourself this is a drastic form of pruning – I cut all the branches down to 1 or 2 feet from the ground. These shrubs can be dormant pruned anytime before the leaf buds break open.

 Many shrubs with beautifully colored bark, such as red and yellow twig dogwoods respond well to pollarding by producing vigorous new growth. The new growth will show a more pronounced color than unpruned specimens. Other plants that respond well to pollarding are willows such as the variegated willow ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ and the Arctic blue willow.

 Plants that bloom on current year’s growth and are pruned in late winter or early spring: potentilla, rose of sharon, Japanese spirea, abelia, redtwig dogwood, butterfly bush, lavatera, bluebeard (Caryopteris), hardy fuchsia, hydrangea paniculata (pee gee hydrangea), hydrangea arborescens, (smooth hydrangea), and roses.

 Plants that bloom on old wood and are pruned after they bloom: azalea, barberry, camellia, deutzia, forsythia, lilac, mock orange, kalmia, quince, viburnum, weigela, witch-hazel, rhododendrons, smoke bush, daphne, beauty bush, ninebark, pieris, magnolia, red flowering currant, oakleaf hydrangea, hydrangea macrophylla (mop-head and lace-cap), and fothergillia..

In the last couple weeks the news carries stories on erosion, landslides, and mud slides all around the world, not just here in the PNW.  Yet, a walk along beaches, in ravines, or in the mountains, I see many steep slopes that show no signs of erosion. What is the difference between a stable slope and one that that is eroding?  Native plants play a critical role to slope stability. Although presence of a native plant community alone, is not a guarantee a slope will remain stable, it sure helps. The geology and hydrology of a site are other factors that affect slope stability.

 The role of a native plant community is to protect the landscape. The tree canopy stores rain water during a storm event.  Rainfall slowly trickles through the intricate network of leaves, branches, and limbs. Beneath the tree, rainwater is captured in a thick layer of forest duff composed leaves, moss and twigs. The duff absorbs and holding large quantities of rainfall like a sponge. On the ground, deep penetrating roots hold the soil in place. 

Native plant community has three layers that include trees, shrubs, and ground covers.  Each plant in the community plays a different role in slope stabilization. With increasing land development, there is pressure to remove trees and to open views and replace the native plant communities with lawn. But, there are other options. 

 Call a certified arborist to help you create a view corridor. Ask them about pruning techniques that can open views and preserve trees at the same time. Another common practice is to install lawn directly to the top edge of a slope. Lawn installed in this manner may contribute to future erosion problems. To reduce erosion, retain a wide swath of native plants (20 to 50 feet wide) along the top edge of any slope. While grass is a better short term option than bare soil to minimize erosion, its shallow roots cannot replace the benefits of native plant community.

 An effective restoration project should include the replacement of trees, shrubs, and ground covers. To begin a restoration plan, first determine which native plants will grow best in your site. If you have a shady and wet site  plant Western red cedar, salmonberry, vine maple, osoberry, and sword fern. If on the other hand you have a dry site plant Douglas fir, hazelnut, oceanspray, and snowberry. Redtwig dogwood is a great plant for erosion control, it prefers a wet, but sunny location as does the Sitka and hookers willows.

 Restoration is always more costly than preservation. The best approach is to protect existing native plant communities rather than to restore a collapsed hillside. If you have a slope with native plants, tread lightly and preserve it. It is important we begin to recognize the benefits of preserving native plant communities or we will continue to experience more erosion and landslides than nature intended.

In winter many gardeners retreat to their armchairs with plant catalogs in hand to escape the grey winter landscape. We plan for spring, and day dream about daffodils, crocus, and tulips – the harbingers of spring.  A  close look at the winter landscape reveals a subtle beauty all its own. Especially if it includes deciduous shrubs with bright, colorful branches. 

 Once the autumn leaves fall and the perennials go dormant, the framework of the landscape is now exposed.  A well-designed landscape has a framework that includes a balance of evergreen trees or shrubs A landscape that possesses only deciduous shrubs and  perennials will often look barren and empty in winter.  Deciduous shrubs with colorful branches planted around a conifer tree, for example, will anchor the framework of a landscape.

 Redtwig dogwood is my favorite deciduous shrub with colorful branches. The dogwood shrub is often confused with the dogwood tree.  The dogwood tree is famous for it’s magnificent pink or white flowers in spring.  In contrast, the dogwood shrub is fast growing, densely branched, and has a clusters of tiny flowers. While both are dogwoods, they are distinct species with completely different growth forms and flowers.

 My favorite varieties of redtwig dogwood are ‘Siberica’ and ‘Midwinter Fire.’  Both possess flaming red branches in winter.  There is also a yellow twig dogwood variety called ‘Flaviramea.’ Gardeners often plant the redtwig and yellowtwig dogwoods together for the intense color contrast.  

 Redtwig dogwood is an easy plant to grow.  They do well in any soil type and thrive in wet soils even if exposed to periodic flooding in winter. Although the redtwig dogwoods thrive in wet soils, they are surprisingly drought tolerant. Our native redtwig dogwood grows along rivers, wetlands and lakes in the South Sound.  Deer love redtwig dogwoods! Do not plant if you have deer.

 The young branches on redtwig dogwoods display the most intense colors. As the branches age, the bark darkens and the bright colors begin to fade.  To maintain the intense branch color, prune the redtwig dogwood every two or three years. Pruning redtwig dogwoods is easy. Cut back all the branches to about 16 inches. 

 While this is a drastic pruning technique, (not recommended for other shrubs!) the fast-growing redtwig dogwood recovers quickly.  This tough and vigorous shrub often outgrows its allotted space. So pruning really serves two functions: it stimulates the shrub to send up new branches with brilliant red or yellow colors and helps to contain the size of the plant. Prune in early spring.

 Plant red and yellow twig dogwoods near conifer trees like Western red cedar, scotch pines and leland cypress.  Under-plant with low-growing evergreen shrubs like Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald and Gold’ or white flowering heathers that bloom in winter to create a striking winter landscape design.

 Author Mary Jo Buza is a landscape designer and owner of Gardens by Design. She has more than 20 years experience creating, installing and maintaining landscapes  in Olympia.  For more information on a custom landscape design, consulting visit or her low cost plant shopping service call Mary Jo at 923-1733.

Do you have a tree you think is too big, or one that is blocking a view?  Whatever the problem tree topping is not the solution.  Tree topping is bad for the health of any tree. Although tree topping won’t kill a tree right away, it does weaken the tree and increase its susceptibility to insects and diseases. We have all seen topped trees, those with all the top branches sawed off leaving just stumps.

 Tree topping begins the slow but steady death of a tree. It may take many years for a topped tree to die. But, when a topped tree dies from root rot, or does not survive a drought the reason is not so obvious. Because it has taken years for the topped tree to die, the death of the tree is not connected to the cause of the problem. Certified arborists now agree that tree topping is a poor pruning practice that is harmful to trees. In addition, tree topping is also the quickest way to ruin a tree’s appearance.

 Topped trees are damaged trees. If you are tempted to top a tree because you fear it will fall on your home during a storm you may want to find another solution.  Most trees respond to topping by sending out not just one new branch but scores of weak shoots to replace the one removed.  Because of this growth pattern, tree topping actually increases a tree’s susceptibility to windstorms. The thick re-growth of branches catches even more wind than before it was topped.

 A tree does not fall over because it is too big.  A tree falls over because it is weak and structurally unsound.  A healthy tree is designed to withstand even the worst storms. If you are worried about a large tree in your yard there are signs to look for that can tell you if the tree is weak. Is the tree leaning?  Does the tree canopy look yellow and thin?  Are there deep and rotted hollow areas on the trunk? Were roots cut during construction?  Do mushrooms grow on the trunk of the tree? These are all signs that a tree may be a hazard.  Certified arborists are trained in hazardous tree evaluation. If you think a tree is a problem call a certified arborist and request a hazardous tree evaluation.

 A good professional arborist will not top a tree but will try other techniques to scale it back. There are several alternatives to tree topping. First, pruning is an option.  A tree can be thinned to reduce its bulk. Removing a few carefully chosen branches may be enough to open the canopy to maintain a view without removing the tree. Removing a few lower limbs is all right too. Second, if a tree is truly hazard it is really best to remove it, but this can only be determined by a hazardous tree evaluation. The third option is to learn to love the big trees that are healthy. It may be the best and the cheapest solution.