Live wood dang rabbits
enlarge this imageMost woody plants have plump, moist buds... unless the branch is dead! Above, a maple twig with its buds enlarging in spring - soaking up water and resuming growth. Those who prune must learn to distinguish live wood from dead, even when all is leafless.
Green thumbs up
to distinguishing live wood from
dead during the dormant season. An essential pruning skill, it may
seem unknowable when there are no leaves. Yet once you learn to
look for buds, it's a snap. Check if buds are plumped with moisture
or wasted, dry things.
Green thumbs down
to the rabbits that get squirrels in trouble. (Believe it or
not, D.G., there appear to be some squirrels that don't bother a
guy's new trees. Instead they sit watching, and tittering, as
rabbits ruin the new plantings. Yet B.C. took a while to catch on,
and cursed the squirrels until catching the rabbits in the
act.)
Below: A gardener can love the wild things but also need to
keep them away from some plants. Ingenious solution to rabbit
trouble, B.C.!
Have a rabbit-proofing tip?
