LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 3

Landscape Renovation: Plants that Fail to Flower or Fruit

It is a disappointment when woody ornamentals do not bloom or provide showy berries as expected. 

●  One reason that flowering plants do not bloom is insufficient light intensity. Most flowering plants need at least six hours of sun, or else light, filtered shade in order to bloom. Ask your Crabapple Rep to schedule selective pruning to enhance light levels and increase flowering.

●  Another reason for poor bloom is drought, or drought followed by a warm, wet fall. Flower buds are sacrificed during dought, or may be fooled into thinking it is spring after the rains and bloom at the wrong season.
●  A late spring freeze can kill flowers and buds that have begun to grow, so get advice to choose later-blooming cultivars. 
 ●  Over- or under-fertilization (or the wrong type of high-Nitrogen fertilizer) can produce lush stem and leaf growth at the expense of flowers. 

●  Hollies, blueberries and other ornamentals may not fruit because they lack a pollinator plant nearby. 

Crabapple LandscapExperts can troubleshoot these challenges and supply remedies and alternatives for better plant choices in the landscape.