Depending on whether you treat gardening as a hobby or chore, pruning your plants can either be something you look forward to or a task you absolutely loathe.

But whether you like it or not, you will have to start pruning the Choisya one way or another since you’ve decided to plant those evergreens in your yard.

The good thing is that gardening is an activity as old as time itself. People have been farming and harvesting crops for centuries. And with that, comes many various tools you can use to make pruning easier and more efficient.

Here are some of them.

1) Your hands

We start the list with the most basic tool that we are born with. Our hands are without doubt, the most efficient in maneuvering.

And everyone implicitly knows how to use it. A deadly combination movement of your thumb and forefinger can make quick work with pruning once you get the hang of it.

The problem is that using a literally hands-on approach to pinching off leaf tips and buds will not give you a clean “cut”.

And it will more often than not, give the plant an untidy look by the end of your pinching session.

The thicker the branches get, the tougher it will be depending on your level of experience.

I strongly suggest using an actual machine made tool instead of your gloved hands unless you have some hardcore fetish with using your hands.

You might even cut yourself fingers if you are not careful!

2) Hand pruners

The most commonly used tool by regular gardeners are hand pruners.

They are small, easy to store, easy to carry around with, and packs quite a punch for a “little guy”.

These tools resembles scissors… but are anything but. I won’t be surprised if one of these pruners can cut up a pair of scissors!

Powerful hand pruners like the Felco F-2 can cut wood as thick as an inch. The diameter it can cut is limited to it’s “arc” or how wide the blades can open.

If you are going to get one, take note that there are basically 2 types of hand pruners.

1. Scissors type
2. Anvil type

The first type can usually cut closer to the main stem than the second type because of the manner these 2 tools are designed.

However, anvil pruners come with the ability to crush bark. So make you pick.

I’d go with the proven Felco F-2.

3) Lopping shears

These are tool with long handles… like those you see in movies when burglars use then to snap off abloy locks.

As you can probably imagine, lopping shears are for tougher assignments while not reaching a stage which you would categorize as “heavy duty”.

Long handles allow the use to exert more force and power to the cut. Enabling lopping shears to cut wood up to 2 inches.

It might also be a preferred tool if you like the extended reach it provides you compared to a traditional hand pruner.

The long reach can also allow you to reach into build-up areas to cut that 1 branch you have identified. Sort of like a surgical prune!

Suitable for those who’d like to get dirty as little as possible.

The Fiskars 32-Inch PowerGear is one real powerhouse of a pruning tool.

4) Pruning saws

Don’t let the word “saw” scare you. Pruning saws are not much bigger than hand pruners… even though they are longer.

They are usually used to take on tough branches 2 inches and above.

Unlike a conventional general purpose saw a carpenter might use, pruning saws have their “teeth” set to the opposite direction. Meaning that it cuts when you pull it rather than when you push it.

This allows you to reach in and precisely place the pruning saw on the object you’ve targeted, and pull it inwards towards you to start the cut.

Product Innovation means that pruning saws are now available as double-edged saws. So do make a check of whether you’ve got the one you want when making a purchase.

A double-edge saw means that you can mistakenly cut the barks of other branches and stems when you are not careful as you are just focusing on the cutting edge.

One of the best in it’s class is the Silky 270-33.

5) Hedge shears

This is a tool that men are known to suffer panic attacks from when their wives hold it close to their lower body… especially when they have been unfaithful.

Hedge shears are more used for “trimming” the outer areas of plants so as to shape them to the shape you desire.

Whenever you see a tidy hedge or a neat set of formal shrubs, they were shaped with hedge shears.

With a long blade and wide snipping action, it’s a tool that needs little introduction.

Just never leave it where your wife might find them.

If you going to the store for something like this, check out the Tabor Tools hedge shear.

6) Pruning knives

This is more of a finishing tool rather than a pruning tool. But since it is often used when pruning, I thought I’d just put it in here.

After you cut a branch when pruning, you are often left with uneven, rough, and unsightly edges that stick out.

Until you’ve reached a high level of expertise in pruning where you can cut and leave behind smooth edges, you have to use pruning knives for a finishing move.

As the task of smoothing edges is more about skill rather than tools, I suggest that you don’t have to buy an expensive one.

Safe your money for your main pruning tools.

7) Wood rasp

Another common finishing tool is the wood rasp. This is like a filing device used in manicures and pedicures. Only that this time, it’s your Choisya that is getting the manicure.

You will intuitively know what this tool does the moment you see it.

Again, I don’t recommend that you spend too much money on a finishing tool like a wood rasp.

8) Extendable long handle saws and loppers

Alright. I don’t really know what kind of plants or trees you have in the back yard.

But if you have something high up there, it’s better to use a cutting tool with a long reach. It sure takes less time and effort compared to using a stepladder. It eliminates safety hazards too.

And you can even use a long reach saw to reach into build up areas on the ground.

Whether to get this tool really depends on your garden setup and layout limitations.

Fiskars 14 foot tree pruner should be enough for any regular home garden.

9) Chainsaw

No, I’m not talking about those you use to cut down timber.

We are talking about gardening here, not foresting.

This is the tool of choice for those who love the feeling of power. Instead of manually pruning the plants, why not just use a machine that does everything in a fraction of the time?

The best part with chainsaws these days is the innovation put into them.

They are getting smaller. They are getting more powerful. And they have extendable reach. It’s like the long handle saw on #8 on steroids.

Just take a look at Sun Joe SWJ800E and you will know what I’m saying.

Pruning Choisya is one of those things that new gardeners can have reservations on. Because it can feel like you are causing pain to the plant.

Snipping off branch by branch on your beloved shrub can be hard to bear.

Centuries of modern science still cannot determine without a doubt whether plants feel pain. So it’s not easy to say whether pruning hurts them.

But what you might find comfort in is that pruning Choisya can give it the look of better health. And of course, it gives your garden that extra sparkly look too.

Here is a visual guide to pruning.

What you DO want to avoid is to prune it the wrong way. Doing it right can:

• encourage a more evenly spread out coverage of foliage
• encourage a good and healthy branch structure
• promote better flowering in both quality and quantity
• maintain an appropriate size for your Choisya plants that blends into the garden overall aesthetics
• rid the plant of bad growth (like a cancer)

Another critical factor you want to note is that Choisya is an evergreen flowering species of plant. This means that usually only an annual session of proper pruning is required for it to grow healthily and to your desired result.

And since Choisya, especially ternata sundance and aztec pearl, is gaining wide popularity around the world, the varying seasons make it impossible to pinpoint an exact time to start pruning.

However, the best time to do it is either in the summer or timed after it’s flowering season.

And before you commence pruning, just do a final check to make sure your pruning tools are sharp and clean.

1) Follow the order of removing branches

Always remove in this order:

1. broken branches
2. thin and dead branches
3. branches that zig-zig across each other
4. shoots growing in undesirable directions

The reason you want to be systematic in your approach is so that you do not miss anything out.

And more importantly, you don’t want to remove more parts than you have to. Especially segments that are perfectly healthy.

2) Be mindful of damaging good branches

When cutting thicker branches, be mindful of how the falling branch can damage the branches below it.

Start with removing the thin ones that are sticking out. These will fall to the ground without damaging other branches. It also makes a thicker branch lighter.

Either use a free-and to hold the branch being cut or improvise to have it held up so that it does not fall violently towards the ground.

Some meticulous gardeners would tie the branch with a string to a branch on top so that it is held up even after you snip it.

3) Use a 2-step cut when cutting close to the main stem

If you are removing a strong looking thick branch all the way to it’s main stem, do not cut at the joining point of the branch and main stem immediately.

This can cause avoidable damage if you are not careful.

It would be better to first remove the bulk of the branch by cutting it 1 to 2 inches away from the main stem.

And once that is done, cut as close to the main stem as you desire. Be careful not to damage the bark.

4) Do not cut beyond green healthy leaves

Doing this can give your plant sort of a “bald spot”.

It might sound like common sense not to remove green leaves that look perfectly normal.

But sometimes, for aesthetic purposes, we cannot help but be very tempted to cut seemingly healthy branches while “shaping” the plant’s appearance.

If you don’t know what you are doing, do err on the side of caution.

On top of that, by cutting healthy areas, you are communicating to your Choisya not to grow in that direction. And it might take that signal too seriously.

5) Cut the tallest growth points

If you leave the stems growing upwards alone, guess what your plant will do?

It will continue to focus it’s growth upwards because that is it’s easiest direction to grow.

But once you snip the top parts, the plants will get the message and start spreading out it’s growth on it branches. Leaves and smaller branches will start growing sideways giving your plant a “fuller” shaped look.

It will be very appropriate if you are growing your Choisya for hedges on your property.

6) Skirting

When Choisya grows large enough for you to think about pruning, you might notice that there are branches growing sideways from the bottom.

If you don’t have a clear picture in your head of what to do with these, I suggest to cut them.

They are ugly and and trespass the area belonging to other plants growing beside it. This can negatively affect the look of your garden and become competition to other plants too.

What you want is to prevent it from growing outwards and along the ground.

Remember

Pruning can be a huge challenge for beginners. But once you get the hang of it, it can become too easy.

And you will feel good about doing it since you are nurturing it as a real living thing.

Finally, don’t forget that pruning Choisya does not primarily benefit the overall beauty of your garden. It actually results in better health and better flower on the plant. So put some love into it.

For serious gardeners, hedging is a critical element that makes a garden “whole”.

If you don’t hedge, it’s not that you a lesser gardener. It’s just that you have probably yet to reach a high level of passion gardening.

Sometimes an imaginary line is all that is required for people to differentiate between 2 land areas. Building a hedge might not be worth the trouble for some homeowners.

Firstly, hedging is different from pruning. Rookies tend to confuse themselves with these 2 words.

Pruning is the act of “trimming” a plant for the benefit of it’s health, and also to enhance it’s natural aesthetic beauty.

Hedging is basically erecting a “wall” or “barrier” to demarcate areas like how a border would. This “wall” is the hedge. Which is why the activity of building it is termed “hedging”. And the hedge is usually made up of closely spaced plants, shrubs and/or tress.

Despite the obvious improvement in visual impact it gives to a garden, a hedge has a lot of practicality that people don’t often talk about.

A hedge can practically:

• block dust
• block wind
• block an ugly view
• act as a privacy screen
• be a safety cushion when hazards occur

Choisya is becoming a very popular shrub for hedging. It’s sturdy, evergreen, easy to maintain. And the best part is that it can grow to a very nice height that is perfect for the average hedge.

Choisya ternata a.k.a Mexican orange blossom, can grow to about 75cm/30in spacing and 200cm/80in in height. The growth rate is approximately 50cm/20in a year.

With it’s aromatic orange scent, it even brings in the butterflies too.

Before you start drawing up the schematics of your hedging plan, take note of the following:

• the best plants for this purpose should be suitable for the location’s climate and seasons
• the ideal plants should be dense all the way to the ground with leaf characteristics that don’t allow visual “see through”
• your choice of plants should also be able to hold it’s ground against weeds and drought
• the faster the growth rate, the more time and effort you spend on maintenance

1) Clearing

Clear the area where you will be building the hedge like you would shave unsightly hair on your body.

You would be crazy if you intend to do this manually. It would be best to speed up the process and save most of your energy by using a herbicide. Or borrow a clearing machine from one of your neighbors.

2) Soil

This is the part where you lay good foundations for your plants. Failing to cultivate this area well can result in a negative end-product.

Use a fork, or a rotary hoe to cultivate a width of about 1m/40in, and a depth of about 40cm/15in.

Because Choisya is not a small perennial, don’t be surprised by the depth required. Anyway, if you plant them on shallow soil, they might be easily uprooted by strong winds.

And while you are at it, do remove any foreign objects you come across.

3) Spacing

Use white tape or any improvised material to mark the center of the area somewhat parallel to the edges.

This is so that you plant your Choisya as precisely at the center (along the line of white tape) as possible. This is to ensure that you get a hedge as “even” as possible instead of a jagged one.

Once you are satisfied with the area and the markings, it’s time to…

4) Dig holes

Undergoing a digging marathon of planting holes can be bad for your back. So it would be best if you can get your children to do this for you.

Otherwise, make sure you are fairly comfortable when doing this task.

5) Add fertilizer

Don’t make the rookie mistake of adding normal fertilizers into the planting holes you had painfully dug up.

Slow-release fertilizers are more appropriate and work better for the circumstances. They don’t cost a lot more and will be well worth the extra money.

Once you’ve chosen your fertilizer, add them to the holes.

6) Plant

Time to remove your plants from it’s packing and put them in the holes. If you are a meticulous person, you might want to position them right at the dead center.

The bottom most point of the plant should be buried about 2 inches (5 centimeters) into the soil.

Once you are satisfied with it’s position, start back-filling the hole.

7) Firm up

This is a step that is often missed due to either forgetfulness or plain laziness.

At this point, the soil is still loose… especially when you had just dug up a hole and filled it up with loose soil.

Therefore, you need to firm up the soil around the plant by stepping on it or with the use of tools. Remember that you are just trying to “firm up”, not destroy. So avoid stepping too hard.

Failing to do this step can have dire consequences.

8) Water

It time to feed your baby Choisya.

Water them as per normal. And observe if anything unusual is going on with the water flow or if ponding occurs.

Ideally, you want the water to go deep.

9) Mulch

Mulch helps to retain moisture, counters weed growth, and improve the health of the soil.

You might choose to skip this step. But if you want to give your Choisya the best, I suggest that you add a thin layer of mulch.

Remember that mulch is supposed to be applied to the soil around the base of the plants. It should not come in contact with the plants.

10) Trim

Go ahead with you first snip. Cutting top shoots will encourage better growth.

The more beauty you want your hedge to have, the more attention and care you have to commit to trimming. This can be a regular activity.

Be warned.

Don’t forget

Because hedges consists of many plants growing in very close proximity, there will be competition for water. Just like how sibling rivalry among kittens can get ugly during feeding time.

The usual amount of water you use on regular plants will not be enough. So be generous when watering the Choisya. At the same time, your should stop as soon as the concern of overfeeding creeps into your mind.