I have an overgrown Mugo pine in my front border. Is it okay to prune it?
Mugo pines are highly variable “shrub” pines that often end up in residential gardens where full grown pines just won’t fit. And why not? Their compact form supplies structure, winter interest, and pockets of deep, spiky green that make perfect backdrops for splashy flowers.
Still, no plant is perfect and one of the challenges of growing Mugo pines is the great variation for which the species is known. Some of these pines remain tight, compact, and prostrate as they mature while others sprawl, shoot for the sky, or send up periscoping branches in the most unsightly places.
Most Mugos sold in garden centres these days are the dwarf varieties and you can reasonably expect them to grow five feet wide and almost as tall. However, not all Mugo pines conform and you have no idea when you purchase one whether it will hold true to the normal maximum dimensions, grow to swallow your garden shed, or develop into something that looks like it might have been meant for some cheesy horror film.
Pruning a pine - any pine - can be quite the challenge. Frustrated gardeners have been known to turn their hedge sheers on their Mugos in order to make them look like the cute balls they were supposed to be. Unfortunately, they tend to look like roadkill forever afterwards. And removing entire branches often leads to conspicuous blank spots that never quite grow in.
What I'm trying to say is, if you let your Mugo pine get to the point where pruning is necessary, you’re probably going to end up with a butchered mess. It's better at that point to just pull it out.
So then how do you prune your pine without creating a local landmark of wretchedness? You do it by pruning it annually from the time you first plant it.
Each spring, pines push out bright green new growth, known as candles, from the tips of existing branches. Once these candles have fully extended, you can cut them in half without destroying the look of the plant. Doing this every year will slow down the growth rate of the plant and force it into a more compact form. It will also allow you to tweak the overall shape of the plant by cutting some candles a little shorter than others, effectively correcting minor deviations before they become major eyesores.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
