Seventeen Master Gardeners attended the four-hour workshop led by three instructors to promote correct pruning practices—April 6, 2024.

Christina Pfeiffer and Cynthia Welte, Edmonds College horticultural instructors, led the group, with Doreen Gillespie, from Master Gardeners of King County Plant Programs Manager, organizing the site, volunteers, and students. Mary Machala assisted from Plant Amnesty.

There was an hour introduction to pruning techniques; then a pruning demonstration of several plants; then a clinic where students were directed to select and prune a plant to practice newly formed skills. The instructors then toured the pruned plants, with students showing what they did and why they made their choices.

The Carkeek Park Demonstration Gardens were on display this day, with the beginnings of spring growth. The Lead Gardener, Drexie Malone, provided a brief history of the Gardens and accompanied the instructors as students worked on their projects.

We can compare before and after photos for several plants that were pruned by students and instructors. Plants were chosen for:

• Lowering height
• Reducing volume, increasing ventilation
• Aid plant health and improved aesthetics

Before and after pruning

This Salmonberry was growing beyond the boundaries of the path and into the other plants in the location. Students cut out the largest and oldest stems, leaving the younger stems to grow freely. No before photo was taken.

The Cedar tree growing close to the path is “limbed up” periodically as the tree grows up and out. One limb was removed to allow a 8-foot height limit for the path.

Mahonia nervosa located near the path and fence was growing into other plants; stems were removed both to limit its width and to open up the close growth inside the plant.

Snowberry in a small grove of same plants was minimized to allow a view beyond the multiple plants into the next garden.

A Rhody, growing underneath large, heritage Rhododendrons (planted in 1953) was minimized and dead wood removed to allow growth in an encroaching environment.

By Drexie Malone, Lead Gardener

Christina Pfeiffer brought eleven students from her Edmonds College Horticulture class for a four-hour pruning workshop on February 20, 2024.

Christina was provided a list of priorities, and together we determined what pruning was needed based on previous maintenance, the health of the plant, goals of pruning, and time available. 

These trees and shrubs were pruned (or not) for these reasons

Parking island trees

The branches of the two Callitropsis nootkatensis (Yellow Cedar) were limbed up, or arborized, to meet the eight-foot height requirements of the path and to lessen the dense growth, allowing a sight line through the island and more light for understory.

The instructor declined to prune the lower branches of the Acer glabrum (Rocky mountain maple) competing with the branches of the Acer circinatum (Vine maple), given the evidence of scarring and stress.

Visitors Center gardens

In the concrete retaining wall bed on the east side of the building, the Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter honeysuckle) was pruned to de-tangle branches and limit the height and width of this large shrub.

The Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon grape) was leaning towards the Visitors Center awning. The students pruned out the tallest and oldest stems and reduced the size of the shrub and its encroachment. Visitors can now see the bulletin board on the side of the building from the entrance, and the pathway feels less like a tunnel.

At the entrance to the Gardens in the bed with a split rail fence, another Mahonia aquifolium was very large—tall and wide. The class removed stems to limit the height and to a lesser extent the width, to allow a view into the Gardens from the entrance ramp.

Ethnobotany Garden

The ancient Corylus cornuta (Hazelnut) may be the largest in the Gardens. Its old branches grow horizontally, blocking the sun and space from other plants. The good news is there are many young, strong vertical branches emerging. The class wasn’t able to prune through the large stem bases with hand saws, so they trimmed up other partial cuts made a year ago, allowing the tree to look “untouched” and a small amount of light gained toward the north.

The Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry) growing around the Hazelnut tree tends to spread into the path, with shoots emerging in all directions. The class dug out the roots of the small stems and cut the larger stems at the base.

A Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen huckleberry) grew here, with many siblings, too tall to see into the garden; the class brought the height down.

North Garden

The Spiraea stevenii (Steven’s Spiraea) represents a group of shrubs that is difficult to prune because of its many small branches. For that reason it’s common to see them sheared in landscapes. Repeated shearing shortens the lifespan of the plant.

Since the goal is to support the plant as long as we can, the class used a rejuvenative technique by taking out large, horizontal-growing or tallest stems to minimize the spread of these shrubs and encourage new growth from the base. After the shrub flowers, it can be deadheaded to further shape the shrub and allow for a second bloom.

The Carkeek Master Gardener Demonstration Gardeners participated in the Festival of Fruit, September 16th from 10am-2pm, at Carkeek Park with a MG clinic table, children’s activities and live honey bees.

Children’s Activity presented by Mary Ann Kae, beekeeper; both children and adults were fascinated with this display and presenta

The Carkeek Master Gardener Demonstration Gardeners participated in the Festival of Fruit, September 16th from 10am-2pm, at Carkeek Park with a MG clinic table, children’s activities and live honey bees.

Children’s Activity presented by Mary Ann Kae, beekeeper; both children and adults were fascinated with this display and presentation.

The Carkeek Park Demonstration Gardens were first planned and implemented in approximately 1996, based on the drawing by Russell Link, landscape architect and WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife biologist. This framed drawing was originally displayed on a wall in the main meeting room of the Visitors Center. When the Center was going to be rented, in approximately 2011, the drawing was moved to the ELC (Nancy Malmgren Environmental Learning Center). There it was stored between a desk and wall for several years.

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