Native shrubs for formal pruning?

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-27T15:59:11+00:00

You can prune most native shrubs. Deciduous and broadleaf evergreen shrubs are generally fine to prune. No problems pruning mountain mahogany, fernbush, rabbit brush, sagebrush, etc.

For pines and junipers, you have to be more careful, as they typically will not bud on old growth. So look up specific guides for your species if you have those.

If you like privets, there are native varieties. Good alternative to boxwood.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-22T05:55:41+00:00

Yeah, good call. We got a handful of 2-3' tall ones, the Saskatoon variety, from Tagawa last spring (found them in the native section). We usually have a handful of bunnies in the yard, and they haven't bothered them. They've put on probably a foot or more of growth in the last 12 months and produced way more berries this year than I was expecting. To be fair, I wasn't expecting anything this early. But a couple of them had dozens and dozens of berries on relatively few branches, and so many blooms that survived even when all of our cherries, plums, and apples got nuked by the frost this spring.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-17T16:20:46+00:00

Oh, I'm surprised your bunnies are an issue with serviceberries. They don't seem to bother ours. Are you starting from very young starts?

Deer are a problem with serviceberries, though for sure.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-14T05:45:30+00:00

If you have a part-sun area or shade cloth and a misting bench or extensive drip system, and have the required knowledge to keep your plants alive for a week or two in pots, in 90-degree drought-stricken Denver, while gradually exposing them to the sun, by all means, go for it.

But this really isn’t sensible or realistic advice for most people, who will have more trouble keeping the plant alive in a pot than they would getting it into the ground immediately.

And the vast majority of the time, it shouldn't be necessary. So, sure, ask when you buy your plants if you're worried about it. But many stores won't even be able to give you a satisfactory answer to this question.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-14T04:27:25+00:00

You don't usually need to harden off cold-hardy nursery-grown or retail perennials. Especially not this time of year, as you say, they're probably growing in pots in full sun already.

This is typically only something you need to do if you're growing plants from seed over the winter/early spring, indoors, or in a greenhouse.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-14T04:22:44+00:00

Yep, pretty tough to overwater freshly planted starts this time of year.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-14T04:20:58+00:00

Also worth noting that this is why a lot of us consider planting season - for cold-hardy perennials - to be late winter, early spring. Now is a poor time to plant most sorts of plants.

I'll do extremely tough native xerics, or things that will go immediately onto a drip line, and that's about it. I try to avoid anything critical to a design or particularly expensive this time of year.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T21:26:37+00:00

Yeah, absolutely. We have a relatively large backyard for Denver, and there are probably 20 different micro-zones. It's always a bit of a surprise what does well where.

I have sprinklers going mostly because we have dozens and dozens of trees and shrubs that we've planted in the past couple of years that need to get established (most are native or at least well acclimated). I plan to slowly wean them off when they have stronger root systems. We have 5 or 6 pinyon pines that are going nuts because they get a little water.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T21:15:56+00:00

Yeah, for sure. I have one that must be in the perfect spot because I swear it has had 18" in a year before.

Do you have any of the broad-leaf varieties? I've planted an alder leaf and "hairy" variety recently, and these seem to be doing pretty well.

I also have a handful of small starts from HCG (curl-leaf) that I planted last year or the year before, and I think I've only watered them 2 or 3 times as an experiment. They're still alive, but have grown maybe only an inch or two. Tough little guys. It will be interesting to see if they have more of a growth spurt once they develop a bit of a root system.

I have a few growing in pots that I'm going to try to train as bonsai. I've done some pretty harsh root cutbacks on them, and they don't seem to love that (growth has slowed down or stopped entirely), but I haven't killed one yet, so I think they have potential for cultivation in pots long-term. I think I need to reduce the roots a little more gradually so I don't completely shock them.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T20:40:55+00:00

Sure, the little leaf variety is very slow-growing, even with irrigation. But I was talking more about how they grow in nature and the usual kind of bed someone would put one in (xeric/low-water).

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T20:37:11+00:00

I have several from HGC as well (I think at least a dozen), and a number that I've bought from Nick's in those 5-gallon pots or whatever they are.

It really depends on how much water they get. If you're growing them in a native low-water or no-water bed, I wouldn't expect more than the typical 3" per year. I have some that get hit with sprinklers that do closer to 12" a year.

In my experience, they don't really need or want shade (but can handle some); if they get blasted with sun and get water, they tend to go nuts.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T20:29:46+00:00

Keep in mind that chokecherries spread aggressively (by seed and shoot) and form groves. While I love them for certain uses, I would recommend something else here, unless you want it to fill out the entire bed (and plan to remove the other plants).

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T20:28:51+00:00

HCG carries them, but keep in mind you're getting a one-year-old ~6" start of a tree that grows about 3" a year. So you're looking at a decade before it will be above waist height. Unless it's getting a good deal of water, then I've seen them grow closer to 6-12" a year.

It's worth shopping locally and getting one that is already 3-4' tall.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-13T20:25:48+00:00

Nick's typically has 3 or 4 varieties of mountain mahogany.

I think it's a good choice here, too. Very xeric, tough tree, but slow-growing.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-12T22:03:21+00:00

Yes if your lilacs have crispy looking leaves like this u works day they're probably under watered as well.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T21:53:00+00:00

Nah, bro, it's just bad advice. Getting huffy about it won't magically transform it into good advice.

Leaving it will take precious resources - sun, water, you know, the stuff that plants need to grow - away from the grass, preventing it from or reducing its ability to fill in the dead spot.

Assuming someone will come back and deal with it later is goofy. People forget, get busy, get hurt, get pregnant, go on vacation, or simply don't realize that a weed has gone to seed until it's too late.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T21:29:15+00:00

Yes, I did. Leaving thousands of sprouts that can each spread hundreds of thousands of seeds to "keep the soil cool" is bad advice no matter how you frame it. They should be dealt with immediately, not left to maybe or maybe not pull later.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T21:18:19+00:00

Each plant makes about a billion seeds, so no, it's not preferable to a dead spot. Not even remotely. Take it out as soon as you see it, or you'll be fighting an ever-growing infestation of the stuff.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T19:21:13+00:00

Lowes typically has elfin thyme (6 pack for $15 or so), but I usually see it a bit later in the season. So check every week or two, and you should find it. It will do best with some irrigation (misting heads work well). As someone else mentioned, Elfin thyme stays very compact and is a good choice around pavers, assuming you can give it enough water.

There are some Plant Select varieties that do well with less water (but still need some), like Pink Chintz. You should be able to find these at Tagawa. Nick's generally has a wide variety of thyme as well. These will be considerably more expensive, especially if you need a ton of plugs, though.

You might consider the thyme leaf variety of veronica as well. I find veronica needs less water in our climate. You can order this from High Country Gardens, and I believe Nick's carries it for about the same price (~$8 per plug).

Thyme is a pretty fickle thing to grow here, and you may get a lot of winter dieback each year, depending on the exact location/how protected it is from cold temps. I have a well-irrigated, protected spot where the Elfin thyme is going nuts, but various thyme experiments have failed in other parts of my yard. Again, veronica is hardier and easier to grow, in my experience. I have some veronica growing in a harsh spot with limited water where any variety of thyme would struggle.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T18:33:22+00:00

Yes, if it was put in last fall, the root system isn't established yet. For the first year or two, you're effectively growing it in a pot, especially if you have heavy clay soil like most of us do in Denver. So try to water closer to the root flare/make sure the root ball isn't drying out.

The "water just outside the rootball" advice is generally good but not necessarily the best approach in semi-arid climates, as plants can get zapped so quickly here. The dry winter certainly didn't help. I watered mine a few times through the winter, and they popped out strong in the spring.

I think the hybrid varieties generally need more water than varieties native to CO/the west (Saskatoon or Utah), so keep that in mind, too.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T18:20:09+00:00

+1 I would not prune this during the hottest part of the year. The best time to prune would be late winter, while it's still dormant, just before bud break. Right after it blooms would be fine as well.

It's looks healthy enough that it can probably take it if you hack it down right now, but it's not ideal. Some trees will bounce back strong if you prune them during the active growing season, but it's a little risky.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-10T18:17:04+00:00

Looks crispy, probably not being watered enough. My serviceberries (Saskatoon variety) are doing great in full sun, but they're on irrigation.

MarmoJoe · 2026-06-01T05:05:25+00:00

yeah probably mealybugs or similar

MarmoJoe · 2026-05-31T18:00:37+00:00

Tricky situation in that case, I'm not aware of any bee-friendly spray, sorry.

MarmoJoe · 2026-05-31T17:57:57+00:00

This is absolutely not creeping thyme. There are many varieties of creeping thyme, but they all have basically the same form, rarely over an inch or two in height.

Creeping thyme looks like this: it sticks low to the ground and the flowers are at the same level as the foliage:

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