Always learning more

Well I finaly have a little time to write and my English is coming back. Getting back from Norway there was a lot of catch-up to do. While in Norway we went to a tropical botanical garden island. There are pictures on my site: www.wuji.com/Norway
This island is only a 20 minute boat ride from Stavanger yet they grow figs, lemons, tree ferns, grapes, and many other plants you would not associate with Norway. The water around the island is 5 degrees C warmer than Stavanger due to the gulf stream. While on the tour I learned several useful things.
FRUIT TREES: My basic education said that you always cut off the water sprouts of the fruit trees ASAP. Well, this of course produces more suckers and puts the energy of the plant there. What they do on Flor og Fjaere is once the water sprouts are less than an inch you crimp or squeeze them instead of cutting them off. This leads the tree into putting its energy into the fruit. This also produces less water sprouts the next year.
LAWNS: For those who must have lawns without weeds their secret was to cut low, water often (lawns are water pigs), and fertilize once a month. The low cutting forces the grass to spread and crowd out the weeds. If the lawn doesn't get enough water then it won't grow lush and the weeds have lots of room to seed and spread.
PRUNING: One of my favorite subjects! I'll be offering a pruning workshop at Emerald City Gardens on the basics of pruning: Sunday, October 5th, 11:00-12:30, $25 (This will count as 3 marks on your frequent buyer card). This is a workshop I've done often and has been very successful. I call it the Tao of Pruning (the way of pruning). I cover basic principles of pruning the three types of growth patterns of shrubs and trees, as well as correct pruning methods. Enrollment is limited so call the nursery to sign-up. 206-789-1314