May 6, 2021

Pruning Around the Pool

Outdoor spring chores at my Bedford, New York farm continue with a good pruning of the shrubs around my pool.

Around the outside of the pool fence, I have about 200 Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple' shrubs. I always try to incorporate unique and interesting plantings into my gardens - both these shrubs have superlative color and appealing form. They were first planted in 2018 and have done so well in this area. Yesterday, I instructed my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to prune them down so they were level with the fence - some of the shrubs had grown more than a foot above this line.

Here are some photos.