beginner gardener in Santa Fe with mature garden needs help

Need to know about pruning and watering at this time of year for Virginia Creeper, Wisteria, honeysuckle and perennials. Also schedule for other times of the year.
Thank you.

Hi Barbara, your not alone in querying pruning times and how to, it is one task that most new gardeners fear most and would rather put off till they end up with a jungle than a neat tidy plant, some plants really do need to be kept under control or they quickly become a mess so I will do my best to give you hints and proper guidance.

First, do these plants really need pruning OR have you just been told you need to cut them back or they will take over your whole yard and probably swallow your kids or house, OR have you lived with them a whole year to see the real area they cover, if yes then worry not.

Perennials: at this time of year, Winter, most of the perennials will have finished flowering either just lately or way back October, IF these plants are dead (top growth died or dying down) then you begin to cut, tug or remove the top growth, this is called a general clean up of the borders / beds etc) if you have no frost, snow etc, you can gently fork over the soil, make sure you don't dig the fork into the soil too deep or you could be damaging bulbs, roots etc under the soil and then wont be too good for growing on come spring, at this point I like to add a multi purpose plant feed, animal manure WELL rotted (no smell).
this helps give energy to the new emerging plants and also any manure or compost will help retain moisture in the soil for when the heat gets very strong.

Pruning the Wisteria is more tricky in as much it is done in 2 stages but, not difficult at all, so depending on where this plant is growing, how big it is and what area the growth covers will tell you how big a job this will be to help keep this plant in manageable space.

In February, cut back all growth to within 2 or 3 buds from the base of the old wooden part of the stems /branches, (Depending how large this climber is) That's back to the 3 buds just above the previous years growth.
IF the plant is really big, prune again in July (after flowering) Cut the new growth, this years (the stems that have just finished Flowering and they grew this year) these get cut back to about 5 or 6 buds from where they started to grow after your last pruning.

These climbers can take over a space before you know it and can very quickly become a tangled mess and also damage a wall as they become very heavy with foliage and ofcourse those beautiful hanging flowers in shades of white, pink, lilac, mauve in all shades of and are quite spectacular in bloom, so now you may have a thought as to why people can put you off growing them or telling you to get rid, I'm the opposite to all those folks and adore this wonderful climber and even when it is bare of greenery I just love the gnarled branches and it's will to grow wherever it feels it can, HENCE the reason why it is a plant that needs watching, it takes a firm hand once it fills out the space you wanted it to fill but it will reward you with such charm and beauty that no other plant can do for you.

IF this is a recently planted plant, you really only need to give a light prune each February till the long wispy branches cover the area you want, once this has happened, you start to prune 2 times a year to keep the growth in check AND encourage more flowering buds, these plants usually flower before the greenery has came properly into growth, you need to make sure you have a good strong wall or climbing frame for this plant too as you will find it gets really heavy with age, a bit like myself ha, ha, ha.

The Virginia Creeper is another beautifully plant depending on type, mine is the kind that turn a burnt red / orange colour in autumn, but again, once it gets growing, and likes the spot it is in, it can cover a whole area in a few years.
There is a lazy way to do this and there is the proper way to prune,
Easy way, find the branches / stems you want to remove, do this in spring, cut these stems / branches through and leave to die off, as the summer progresses you will find the cut branch will show signs of dying off as the foliage will be brown or non existent, once autumn arrives you begin to prize the branches (foliage-less) off the structure /wall/ frame it is growing, these plants are different from the Wisteria, that requires to be tied to a structure BUT the Virginia Creeper has it's own little sucker feet that stick to plaster, wire, wood and you name it, it will stick to it, these plants can be slow to get going but, once it does, they spread fairly quickly, they don't have the same amount of growth as the Wisteria and are easy manageable.

Honeysuckle is, just prune off the long shoots where you find them and drag them away, these branches twist and turn and get very tangled but thats why we grow and love them, they are best pruned AFTER flowering or early spring before the leaves hide the branches you wish to remove. Also keep all your cutting tools clean, sharp and have a bright plastic string attached so you can find them wherever you lay them down, I'm always loosing mine.

Hope all this helps you out, If I were you and just beginning to learn how to prune the plants you have became the new owners of or just planted them yourself, go along to your book store or library and find books on the subject, Gardening books are expensive and hard to find one with easy to follow instructions or just even plane English so take you time before you consider buying any gardening books as a lot are just lovely pictures and no substance or info.
Good luck WeeNel.

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