Green Side Up! of Wilmington, Inc.

Jason Steveson has earned the North Carolina Certified Plant
Professional (CPP) certification from the North Carolina Nursery and
Landscape Association (NCNLA). Jason is one of only 2,183 CPP's in North
Carolina. NCNLA congratulates Jason for demonstrating his commitment to
professionalism in his industry.

The CPP exam is a two part test. The written portion identifies knowledge
and skill needed while working in the landscape industry. The plant
identification portion demonstrates knowledge of a wide selection of plant
material. The CPP is the first step in a process of becoming a Registered
Landscape Contractor.

Prunning- An artform

Just Like so many things in this world, pruning is a process that many people do but so few truly have the eye it takes to do a quality job.  I think it all begins with the knowledge for what the plant will mature into.  Picking the correct plant for the correct space is vital.

 Sometimes a plant can be altered into a space or a shape to fit a certain landscape style or to fit into a specific space.  The intention of altering the final shape or size should be done fron the initial planting and kept in mind as the plant develops.  Many times this process is totally accepted and can work well visually.  Japanese style of design is a prime example.

Unfortunately,  many times the original design intentions are forgotten and a plant will become over grown and the work needed to get a plant to fit into its planted space can be severe.  On the other hand many residential HOA's or commercial properties annually search for the cheapest service providers and the results can be ugly.  A service provider that comes in as the lowest price usually does not know the value of the work they are doing or how to charge for it.   Many times a new service provider will come in great gang busters and want to "clean the place up"!  The end result is an inferior pruning with irreparable damages

 All plants have a mature size and shape.  Be sure you hire a true professional that can answer your questions and provide the care information your property will need.  They should be able to identify high majority of the plants on your property and answer general questions about them.  If they can't you might want to keep looking.  Just because they recently purchased a $500.00 set of gas prunners doesnot make them a "professional".

Below are some recent pictures of a pruning project gone wrong.  Before I get into this please note we DID NOT do the work.  This planting is about 15(+/-) years old and definately needs some work as seen in the before.  However,  the overall condition of the plants is good and they are along a highway where they are seen at about 55 mph.  The Dwarf Yaupon Hollies in the middle row are about as big as they will get so there is no issues with size.  The Dwarf Burford Hollies in the background are capable of growing an additional 2-3 feet.  I believe the Dwarf Burfords are at the current size to prevent screening the ornamental metalwork on the wall behind.  The Dwarf Burfords should be allowed to grow closer to their mature height forming a screen from the highway to the houses behind the wall and developing a uniform line along the wall.  The layering, color and textural differences and the clean lines will be visable at 55 mph.  The mature, well maintained plants will definatley add value to the property.

 

 
 

Unfortunalely,  the plants appear to have been pruned with no regard for their mature size or natural shape or for any reason other than someone likes to hear the sound of the gas shears as they chew through woody stems.  The result is damage that may never be corrected.  Once this cycle begins the following prunings wil damage the plants more and more.  Remember that maintaining the plant is the goal and along with its health, is it value!

Feel free to contact us on-line or by phone with any questions or comments you may have rgarding this or any other landscape related issues.

Have you been to our website recently? Stop by and tell us what you think.
Send your friends by and tell them to tell us what they think Stop
strangers on the street and send them by and tell them to tell us what they
think. OK, maybe i was pushing it a bit with that last one. Seriously,
Check out our work and give us a call to see what we can come up with for
you! www.greensideupofwilmington.com

This one is short and sweet. As if there are not enough reasons to seek out
an alternative for Leyland Cypress. This should be at the top of the list!
Leylands are a big bulky plant that as they mature, will not only screen
your view, but they also act like a sail in high winds. The biggest bonus
is their shallow fiberous root system that likes to break free under these
conditions and lay right down. I truely wonder what the developer of this
plant thinks of his/her creation. Thanks,but no thanks!