The importance of pruning in caring for a garden cannot be underestimated. In fact, no plant in a garden can fulfill its role without proper pruning. As a gardener prunes, he or she should keep the following in mind:

–Pruning is one of the most important facets of plant care and garden development, but it is too often practiced without an awareness of the beauty latent in individual plants or an understanding of their roles in the garden’s composition. This ignorance shows in the hacked, buzz-cut trees and sheared-but-dying shrubs that continue to mar our roadways and neighborhoods.

By studying individual plant appearances, habits, and growth potentials in natural settings and in well-maintained gardens, a gardener will be able to visualize how these plants might look in his or her own garden, with proper care.

Contributed by James Hanselman

The Gardener (& experienced pruner)

With gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy in this land, we wish you and your loved ones a safe and Happy July 4th celebration!

~James and Betty Hanselman and family

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”

~ President John F Kennedy

Recently, one of the longtime residents at our nursery was gently lifted into the back of a truck for a slow and careful trek to an oceanside home on Long Island, NY. Here, our tree will be planted in a very large pot and placed on a deck overlooking the ocean–the perfect spot for this striking specimen that can trace its origins to the rugged coastlines of the Japanese islands.

We look forward to hearing of the delight this unique Pine will bring to its owners and their loved ones, as it begins to display the venerable character of its nature and its nurture.

Gladly reported by Betty Hanselman.

Gardener’s wife

“I will make a garden, be an artist in nature, for gardens reveal to us what is best in our nature. The garden is a place for the gentle builder and humble artist to call their home, a place for them and all those who visit thereafter, to find their way back to a unified world where there are no boundaries. No point where the garden ends and the mountain begins.”

~ Marc Peter Keane (American landscape architect and author)

The Japanese Black Pine is distinguished by its striking, “windswept” form accented by gray-black, “plated” bark and lustrous, dark green needles. This iconic Japanese native is tolerant of salt spray and salty soil, which accounts for its abundant presence along the rugged coastlines of Japan, its country of origin.

While the Japanese Black Pine may be difficult to find in most nurseries in the United States, Hanselman Landscape has been tending and shaping a number of these beautiful specimens for installation in gardens in Lancaster County and around the country.

We would love to bring the unique beauty of the Japanese Black Pine to your garden, too! (Give us a call: 717-653-1273.)

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& Japanese Black Pine beneficiary!)