We started a new project yesterday here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. These beds had not been weeded all year and were quite overgrown with thistle, suckers and more. All of this should have been done in very early Spring just a few weeks after the last snow of winter.

The two taxus bushes are normally pruned clean on the bottom then shaped on the top. This is an unusual but nice look that is similar to the way bonsai trees are shaped. If they are not pruned at least 2 or 3 times a year they become a big hassle to keep up as taxus are not really meant to be pruned this way.

The advantage to this type of pruning is a fuller look. What happens is the bottom part of the bush doesn’t get much sunlight when it is full of greenery and normally thins out over time. Plus, the bush is able to focus its energy on keeping less of it’s overall mass healthy.

I will post more pictures as soon as we are finished with this project tomorrow. Stay tuned!