Pruning Techniques of Rhododendrons

Why are there so few flowers on my rhododendron? Have you ever asked yourself this question or just wondered if you should be pruning a shrub or tree a certain way. If you have, then this article is for you. The first tip of information you should know is that you can always trust a Horticulturalist trained in Pruning Techniques. A true Horticulturalist should be able to answer most, if not all, of your pruning questions on site. If unable, they will most definitely get back to you asap with an appropriate answer. A Rhododendron can handle very harsh pruning techniques, but must always be done appropriately and in the correct season. If a rhododendron is overgrown, unsightly and impeding on other plants, there is no need to worry about having to replace it, just have it pruned back to size. An initial pruning or rejuvenation pruning (as its called in the horticulture world) may be unsightly to begin with, but give the shrub a years worth of growth and it will be beautiful and manageable once again. Now, why didn’t my rhododendron flower so much or not at all this year? Reason being is that the shrub was pruned either too late or too early in the season and the new buds were pruned off. Maintenance pruning for a rhododendron must be done immediately after the flowers buds have been spent and before new growth has begun. The flower buds for next year begin to form immediately following the passing of this years flower buds, which then over winter on the shrub and burst open come spring time. To put it in a nutshell, hand prune the flower buds (called “trusses”) immediately after they are spent. This allows the plant to send nutrients to the new forming flower buds, rather than to the production of seed growth in the spent flower buds and will help create a more vibrant and healthy rhododendron for years to come.

Why WikWorks?

Today our Landscape industry has been inundated with thousands of so called "Companies" that frankly lack the necessary schooling and hands on professional training that is needed in this industry. The most apparent problem I see with the majority of these "Companies" is their lack of knowledge in plant habits and cultural requirements. We have all seen that house down the street who 10-15 years ago had a beautiful new planting design installed on their property, but now, although pruned 2-3 times yearly, is way over grown and in dire need of replacement. What happened? It was so beautiful for the first few years and now look at what it has become. Two problems, if not both, may have occurred. First of all, the "Designer", if we can even call them that, probably knew nothing about plant placement. Secondly, the maintainer of the installed design lacked knowledge in plant pruning techniques. The true "Designer" understands all the plants habits and cultural requirements and will create a beautiful design accordingly. Each plant in a design may also require quite different pruning techniques than the plant next to it. A skilled Horticulturalist is always your best bet for a beautiful planting design and maintenance of that design. Whether it's Brick, Block, Plants, Stone, Wood or Water, if you can dream it, I can Design and Build it. WikWorks, Inc "Work With The Earth"

The Traditional Brick

When I layed my first brick, I had no idea the vast amount of patterns and types of brick that were out there. With literally hunderds of variations of brick created today, it is so difficult to choose the perfect brick and pattern. For much of my work, I have always been a fan of the Herringbone Pattern. The Herringbone Pattern is basically a zig-zag pattern that creates a more formal look. Other patterns that I also love to use, as well as slight variations of them, is the Spanish Bond, Basket Weave, Half Basket Weave, Running Bond and Jack on Jack. Using variations in these patterns is just another great way to add that extra bit of character to that driveway, patio or walkway you may be creating.

A True Brick is a priceless. Honestly, I cannot stand concrete pavers. I have never been a fan of those. Within the last 10-15 years many people have had these products installed on their properties due to that fact that they were and are cheaper than Brick. The major problem with concrete pavers are their inability to hold their color. A True Brick will hold its color for a lifetime and will never fade from the day it was formed. Why use Brick rather than Concrete Pavers?.... Brick truly is ageless and builds character with time, whereas time is not a friend to Concrete Pavers due to color fade and break down of the product. Use Brick, not a Concrete Paver, for your investment will be timeless.

Great thought on Marketing your Business

So, I have been reading this great book "Selling the Invisible" and came across a great story that I need to share. Harry Beckwith tells the story of a woman walking down the streets of Paris when she happens upon Picasso. He is standing on the street corner sketching to his hearts content. The women approaches and asks Picasso if he would mind sketching her and she would pay what he asked in return. He agrees and in 3 minutes she is handed an original Picasso. Picasso says to her, "five thousand franks". The woman politely replies, "but it only took you 3 minutes". Picasso replies, "no, it took my whole life."
"Don't charge by the hour. Charge by the Years."

"When you are selling services you are not selling your time but your experience. A lesson most in the service business really do not understand." - John Chancellor


"A man was suffering a persistent problem with his house. The floor squeaked. No matter what he tried, nothing worked. Finally, he called a carpenter who friends said was a true craftsman.
The craftsman walked into the room and heard the squeak. He set down his toolbox, pulled out a hammer and nail, and pounded the nail into the floor with three blows.
The squeak was gone forever. The carpenter pulled out an invoice slip, on which he wrote the total for $45. Above the total were two line items:
Hammering, $2.
Knowing where to hammer, $43."

"Charge for knowing where."

Going Green

"The sun was slowly rising over the mountain to the east of my small but cozy summer cottage. It was just after 5 am and I realized I had forgot to close the shade of my bedroom window the night before. I always close that window, otherwise I will be impolitely awakened by the sun and her splendid rays. I open my eyes to the bright glow of her morning rays and realize I forgot again. Feeling quite groggy, I pulled myself out of bed and wandered over to draw down the shade. Something outside caught my attention. My eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the light yet and I couldn't make out the figures that were darting around in the dew filled meadow just 50 yards from my window. As my eyes began to adjust, I slowly began to make out the figures outside. They were a light reddish orange, ah ha, now I realized .... foxes, they were frolicking in the lush green meadow, darting in and out of the rays of sunshine now gleaming over the mountain tops. I quickly grabbed a shirt, opened the front door and stepped onto the moss covered pathway leading to the old storage shed. I needed to make sure the chickens were alright, especially the new hatchlings. I cracked the door and looked in. They were fine, no disturbances here. Since I was up, I decided that I might as well go put the coffee on and start some breakfast. After making coffee, I sat down at the table next to the large front window and continued watching the foxes enjoy themselves as they had now moved closer to the stream that ran through our backyard. My mind began to wander as I began to recall the days of when these houses had asphalt roofs. How ugly they were and they never gave anything back to me. Now I had a roof that will always continue to give, no matter who the owner may be." Excerpt taken from my upcoming book "The lost Gardener."

I have always loved the green roofs that only rarely show up in our New England Area. Are they practical? Do they Work? Are they cost effective? Simply, to answer these brief questions, I must give an emphatic "Yes." As we are now in a time in which we are all looking for ways to do our part in conserving our environment, seeing as we are only stewards here for a time, we must all do our part. It may not be a green roof or organic living. It could just be mulching your grass clippings and returning them back to the turf they came from. We all can do something, no matter how large or small it is. Something is better than Nothing!

A fountain for everyone.

How often it is that a garden, beautiful though it be, will seem sad and dreary and lacking in one of its most gracious features, if it has no water. - Pierre Husson


"No matter how dreary the weather may be, how wet our world is we see, just remember the benefits it is to that tree....." ~Me~

Oh, the benefits of water, Where do I begin?

Water has been manipulated for centuries by the Chaldean's of ancient Babylon, the Roman Empire and many more. Every culture throughout the earths lifetime has highly valued water for its power, its sustenance and its grace. In ancient Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon not only to show the beauty of the surrounding trees and plants contained therein, but to show the power and beauty of water used throughout the entire garden. Even today water is manipulated and moved throughout many gardens, fountains and displays throughout the world. My favorite water features are all in the gardens of the Villa d'Este Tivoli ,Italy, called "The Oval Fountain" "The Hundred Fountains" and "The Organ Fountain." The sheer awe and brilliance of these marvelous features truly envelopes what a water feature should be.

"The Oval Fountain"

"The Hundred Fountains"

"The Organ Fountain"

Our Origin

I thought it best to initiate this new blog of mine with a bit of information in regards to who I am, what WikWorks,Inc is all about.
In my field of work, the most important piece of any project, whether an ornate brick and cobble driveway or a simple bluestone patio and planting design, must begin with a solid foundation. My foundation truly began at the age of 13 with my first job in the agricultural/horticultural field. My first summer job was working at Longridge Farm in Meredith ,NH weeding the fields, picking fruit and vegetables and laying irrigation lines. Once a sophomore in high school, I began working for Doran's GreenHouses in Lexington, MA. I have always loved plants and my first two open air jobs helped give me a greater appreciation for their use in the landscape. I then moved on to the Landscape Industry in my summer before going off to college. I loved the work, but still had no clue as to what I should be majoring in. To make a long story short, I finally graduated from The Stockbridge School with a degree in Landscape Contracting. Now that I had a solid design, build and maintain background, WikWorks,Inc was incorporated in March of my final semester. WikWorks,Inc was created as a Landscape Design, Construction and Maintenance Company dedicated to the enhancement of our New England Environment and thankfully is still serving our Boston and surrounding towns today.
WikWorks,Inc is a family owned and operated Landscape Business that has a primary focus of creating wonderful working relationships with our clients and employess alike. I, as the owner, truly put an immense value on our clients and employees and the solid relationships that we build with them. To wrap this all up, I would love to hear from you the reader. If you are interested in our services, becoming a part of our company or have Landscape Questions, feel free to visit us online at www.wikworks.com and post your question.

Thanks,