Prune, Prune, Prune Away!!!
Pruning is critical for the gardener. It serves so many important functions and is a great way to keep garden shrubs shapely and healthy.
Pruning is nothing new to me. I grew up on a cherry farm where pruning trees was part of the annual care ritual. I got my first experience pruning when I was seven or eight and my dad wanted some pruning done on a young orchard he’d just planted. It was simple stuff and he paid me a piecework rate to do it so that his employees could focus on more skilled tasks.
Then in the late 80’s my experience with pruning exploded when Scott and I put in our first acre of vineyard. Having grapes means pruning annually as grapes only fruit on year old wood. Our learning experience went through many trial and error experiments with cordon pruning, fan pruning, Scott Henry method and our variations of all of those. Since we were raising grapes for wine we wanted a bountiful crop but we also wanted to make sure our annual pruning ritual was going to assure the long term health of the vine. This is always a careful balance.
As we worked we tried several different pruners but pretty much settled on Felcos. The classic Felco F-2 is a great all around pruner but because I have wrist issues (thanks to years on a typewriter and then on a keyboard) I quickly switched to Felco F-7s which have a rotating handle and are much easier to use if you’re pruning for a few hours. Today Felco offers a wide variety of pruners but my favorites — the F-2 and the F-7 are displayed here.
One thing I learned growing up on the farm is that you’re only as good as your equipment. That’s why I tend to invest in great tools like Felco pruners, the Radius Garden Root Slayer and the Radius Garden Ergonomic tools. The only tool I haven’t replaced in recent years is my beloved Hori Hori knife.
If you’re looking for great pruners I invite you to check out Felco pruners, which you can find on Amazon. If you do buy these pruners by following the link in this article, I may receive a commission.
Note: I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
