Incorrect trimming of landscape plant material can add unnecessary labor costs to the maintenance. Moreover, it can reduce the health and beauty of the landscape while at the same time reducing the useful life of the plant material (adding additional costs for replacement.)

Topics Covered in this Article…

Sample of a Correct Trimming Technique – “Texas Sage”


Leucophyllum before picture. Trimmed in
the common “lollipop” fashion.
Performing selective hand pruning in mid to late February. Notice we are not using power hedge shears.
The Texas Sage above was traditionally
trimmed into a hedged shape. Just after the
frosts of late January, in mid-February, we
trimmed all of these sages. Although the
plants were bare for a short period going
into spring, other plants became the focal
point in the landscape like: brittle bush
(Encelia farinose), Red yuccas (Hesperaloe
parvifolia), Ocotillos (Foquieria splendens)
and Palo verdes (Parkinsonia florida). This
kind of clean-up also affords the
opportunity for granite replacement in
selected areas.
Afterward it is quite bare; however, it is better for the health of the plant. It will leaf out rapidly within a month.

In summer, this is the kind of dramatic flower show you can expect with the Texas Sage when it is selectively trimmed properly in February.
The Formal Garden Look

Much of the misunderstanding associated with improper trimming method boils down to a subjective view of beauty and the idea of a “maintained” look.

For many, the look of a formal garden invokes a feeling of beauty and order. There is no doubt that such a garden is meticulously manicured and maintained. There is nothing wrong with this type of garden, but it does require specially selected plant material and a significant cost to keep everything trimmed properly.

The goal should be to maintain the garden area in keeping with the design and the design should incorporate plant material that is appropriate to the intent of the finished theme of the landscape.

Forcing a formal look onto a landscape where it was never intended can be harmful to the plant material and detract from the intended beauty of the original design.
Formal Garden at the Palace at Versailles in France.

Notice the exposed woody undergrowth on some of the formally trimmed bushes.
 Next time you travel throughout the Phoenix valley, notice the way the shrubs are trimmed in many of the landscape areas. It is very common to see shrubs trimmed in a formal shape against the intent of the original design. This is evident because the location and type of plant material does not lend itself to a formal manicured trimming requirement. Some plants are adapted to hedges and others are not.

An example of this is the Oleander bush in the front of the picture to the left. Because of it’s placement in the landscape it is not intended to be hedged in a formal way and yet it is.

The plant material may be suited for a more formal or hedged trimming (the example Oleander) but the placement in this landscape design doesn’t indicate the plant should be trimmed that way.
Hedges as opposed to Lollipops

Many times shrubs must be trimmed in order to fit within a confined area. However, it is unnecessary to trim them in a way that forms them into individual plants. If it must be hedged then it better for the plant material to blend together into a mass. This allows each individual plant to grow more and shades more of the ground around them. This reduces weeds and cools the area down. Exposed area under the plants causes excess reflected heat.
An example of allowing the shrubs in a confined area to grow together into a hedge.
What the picture to the right indicates is an area where the shrubs are in a confined space, similar to the picture above where the hedge is indicated. Trimming the shrubs into individual “poodle” or “lollipop” shapes is unnecessary. Ideally, a different variety of plant in this location would be appropriate. However, if a sheared look is applied due to space limitations, individually trimming each plant is unnecessary. Letting them grow into a solid hedge would be more appropriate, achieving the same effect and require less labor (labor = cost.)
An example of “poodled” shrubs in a confined area where a hedge would be appropriate.
The incorrect use of power hedge shears…


Correct trimming of the Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Incorrect trimming of Hesperaloe parviflora where hedge trimmers were used.
Another common problem found in may places throughout the Phoenix valley is the improper use of power hedge shears. Plants that grow in a “clumping” form like the Red Yucca, seen above, need to have the dead leaves trimmed all the way down to the base. The entire leaf as well as the dead flower stalks must be trimmed at the base of the plant and not sheared halfway. As you can see above, with the picture on the right, the leaves were not cut down to the base. Instead, these plants were improperly sheared into a small formal shape. These types of plants, ones that grow in a clumping form with individual leaves coming from a base location, were never intended for formal shearing. Power hedge trimmers should never be used on this type of plant.
Excess shearing reduces blooming


Leucophyllum frutescens 'Green Cloud' during the summer near monsoon rains.
Close-up of 'Green Cloud' blooms in early August.

The above Leucophyllum frutescens 'Green Cloud' is heavily sheared. This picture was taken very close to, and at the same time as, the one above that is blooming profusely. This plant is about a year or two older than the plant in the previous picture but it shows the drastic impact shearing has on the amount of flowers.
Close-up showing how few blooms this plant has in comparison because of the shearing. Notice the thicker, woody material inside that is void of leaves.
In the sample above of the Texas Sage you can see a clear example of shearing that completely decimated the dramatic flowering potential of this plant. Both plants shown above are the same variety and the pictures were taken at the same time. The older plant is sheared to the point that almost no flowers are visible. This is a fast growing variety that will accept a heavy selective prune and the end of winter, prior to spring. Plant selection is not the issue here, it is improper trimming technique.
Proper plant selection


This older, well established plant is probably a Leucophyllum
candidum 'Silver Cloud'. Picture was taken just prior to spring.		 One of the main issues with improper trimming technique is the fact that many times plants are misplaced in the particular landscape area. Specifically, the mature size is not factored into the location of the particular plant making shearing necessary.

A very common plant seen throughout the landscapes of Southwest is the Texas Sage or Leucophyllum. There are numerous varieties of this particular plant and it is for this reason that it is a good candidate to show something about proper plant selection.
You can see from the list below, that there are over 12 varieties of this particular plant available in the Phoenix area. Therefore, the selection of the right plant for the right location, for this variety alone, is easy. Many other landscape plants common to this area also have multiple cultivars to allow for diverse placement. Many of them have “compact” varieties (or cultivars). The Texas Sage was chosen to be as an example because it is so common and there are a diverse number of cultivars.

You can see that there is a wide variety of mature size and growth habits in the various Texas Sage cultivars to enable you to choose the right plant for the right location. However, the opposite is also true. Select a regular Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) instead of the ‘Blue Ranger Texas Sage’ (Leucophyllum zygophyllum) for a three foot wide parkway and you’ve got a plant that grows 10’ tall and 6’ wide instead of a compact 2’ tall and 2’ wide plant that accepts some shearing.

Proper plant selection is the key to optimum trimming technique. If the right plants are selected for the right locations then they can be allowed to reach mature size with minimal selective pruning only once a year. The landscape looks better overall, the plants are healthier and maintenance costs are reduced.

Types of Texas Sage available in the Phoenix area…

 

 

Feet

 

Botanical Name

Common Name

Height

Spread

Note

Leucophyllum candidum 'Silver Cloud'

Silver Cloud Texas Sage

2-5

3-5

Medium growth rate, silver foliage

Leucophyllum candidum 'Thunder Cloud'

Thunder Cloud Texas Sage

2-3

2-4

Slow growth rate, stays relatively compact

Leucophyllum frutescens

Texas Sage

5-10

4-6

Spreads out, blooms near summer monsoon rains of lavender flowers, silvery gray green leaves with a felt-like texture.

Leucophyllum frutescens 'Compactum'

Compacta Texas Sage

3-5

3-4

Rounded growth pattern

Leucophyllum frutescens 'Green Cloud'

Green Cloud Texas Sage

3-8

3-6

Fast growing, rounded with green foliage

Leucophyllum frutescens 'Heavenly Cloud'

Heavenly Cloud Texas Sage

4-8

4-6

Fast growing, upright with green foliage

Leucophyllum frutescens 'White Cloud'

White Cloud Texas Sage

4-6

4-6

Fast growing, bushy, white flowers and silver foliage

Leucophyllum frutescens x laevigatum 'Mountain Cloud'

Mountain Cloud Texas Sage

3-5

3-6

Medium growth rate, bushy, spreads out

Leucophyllum laevigatum

Chihuahuan Sage

3-5

3-6

Medium growth rate, fuzzy leaves with slender branching

Leucophyllum langmaniae ' Lynn 's Legacy'

Lynn 's Legacy Texas Sage

3-5

3-5

Medium growth rate, semi-deciduous, fragrant flowers

Leucophyllum langmaniae ' Rio Bravo '

Rio Bravo Texas Sage

2-3

2-4

Medium growth rate, compact, dark green foliage

Leucophyllum pruinosum 'Sierra Bouquet'

Sierra Bouquet Texas Sage

3-6

3-6

Fast growing, bushy, profuse and fragrant flowering, silver foliage

Leucophyllum zygophyllum 'Blue Ranger'

Blue Ranger Texas Sage

2-3

2-3

Medium growth rate, compact, green foliage, accepts some shearing
For reasons of availability, the above list was derived from the catalog at Treeland Nurseries, Mesa , Arizona . Other varieties like "Bertstar Dwarf" also known as "Silverado", as well as "Alba" and "Rain Cloud" are not listed because this listing is directed at plants that have a reasonable probability of availability in Arizona; specifically, the greater Phoenix valley area.

Possible wholesale nursery availability of these plants in the Phoenix, Arizona area:

Arid Solutions LLC, Phoenix

San Tan Growers, Chandler

Baseline Trees, Phoenix

San Tan Nursery And Tree Farms, Gilbert

Desierto Verde Inc, Tempe

Skyline Nursery, Gilbert

Elgin Nursery & Tree Farms, Phoenix

Sunshine Wholesale Growers, Phoenix

Moon Valley Nurseries, Phoenix (Retail)

V&P Nurseries, Gilbert

Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, Glendale

Village Nurseries, Chandler

Paradise Wholesale Nursery, Peoria

Westside Wholesale Growers, Glendale

Plant Brokers, Apache Junction

Whitfill Nurseries Inc, Phoenix (Retail)