Pruning 101

It only seems fitting after such a wonderful Father's Day yesterday
to sing the praises of our amazing Dad
who came to the rescue once again this last week for his girls!
Pruning, not the fruit but the tree kind!

A few weeks ago while Candace and her little family went on their first ever

family vacation, I spent a lot of time out working in the yard.
Then when Candace got home we spent 2 whole days chopping
and hauling to the dump over a ton...yes a ton literally, of branches.

I admit it wasn't all work~

our duckies are growing so fast and it was fun to just be outside with them!

I went and got the kiddie pool, which at first seemed monstrous.....

it doesn't seem big enough anymore.
And of course along with us is squirrel #3, Fifi.
Yes, I said number 3.:)

When we moved here I wanted the exact opposite of my last home.

I traded in house size for a yard full of trees so I had my own private little retreat.

It has been wonderful but those trees~they are a lot of work and expensive!

So I have had to figure out how to prune myself because some Tree experts

charge up and over $500 per tree to come in.

Don't get me wrong~they earn their money rightly!:)
Since we can't hire our Dad out to come teach and rescue you

we thought we'd share one of the best sources we have ever come across

which was a video from This Old House!

Those guys are amazing~and hey the accents~who doesn't love em'!

This Old House's website is full of amazing tips on everything!
Another great article was from them is found here.
I love how their first tip is "Fight The Fear"!

photo from This Old House

My brother got me a Sawzall for Christmas

 and honestly that tool has been so well used!

It makes pruning easy and puts my mind at ease~the thought of my husband with a chain saw

scares the crud out of me!
This Sawzall makes cutting through those bigger branches so easy
and relatively safe.

Here are 2 tools that are must haves for your garden:

I really like the Fiskars brand and they are economical as well as being well made. You can find them at Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes.

Hand pruners~~for everything like roses and shrubs.

I picked up this set last weekend and they are delicious and just under $13!

Long handles pruners for larger branches and hard to reach ones!

Really easy to use and cuts even easier!

If there was any advice I could give, it's to have courage!  Watch a few videos and give it a try, you have nothing to lose, only money to save and a beautiful yard to enjoy!

Last but not least~THANKS DAD for teaching us how to work in the yard and forever being our Knight in shining armor.  Seriously he is the best Dad ever!