Question regarding planting bushes (growing, Forsythia, magnolia, apple trees)

[Raiderstudent]

First off, I live in TN and we've had an early start to spring/summer so everything is pretty much in full bloom. Now, I have a few questions:

1. Two falls ago I planted three Pieris 'Snowdrift' (Andromeda) plants around one side of my deck. They have been growing great, but I have two rambunctious dogs that have taken to their new fence really well and when left unattended decided to wrestle on two of them. Needless to say, they have severely damaged them (one almost to the ground and the other about halfway. Will these grow back? Should I do anything to help them? They also split open a Forsythia but I've tried to tie it back. Would this work?

2. Also, I purchased five Allamanda bushes and am wanting to place them in a line along my fence line to keep a barrier from the street. I was not sure if people planted bushes around the outside of fences (this one is a black aluminum fence). Thanks for any advice.

3. I have a maple and crabapple tree that are growing into really weird shapes. They also have suckers(?) on them that I am wanting to remove. Is it too late to do this? I've heard you can prune crabapple trees up to June.

I really appreciate the help!

[cittic10]

I'm only gonna touch on question #3.
You can and should remove the suckers (I'm assuming you're talking about basal sprouts on the maple) whenever they appear.

[J&Em]

Originally Posted by Raiderstudent

First off, I live in TN and we've had an early start to spring/summer so everything is pretty much in full bloom. Now, I have a few questions:

1. Two falls ago I planted three Pieris 'Snowdrift' (Andromeda) plants around one side of my deck. They have been growing great, but I have two rambunctious dogs that have taken to their new fence really well and when left unattended decided to wrestle on two of them. Needless to say, they have severely damaged them (one almost to the ground and the other about halfway. Will these grow back? Should I do anything to help them? They also split open a Forsythia but I've tried to tie it back. Would this work?

Andromeda is usually not pruned but in this case cut it below the damage, giving them some shape and hope that they will regrow to its original size. Under more normal conditions the best time to prune them, if you must, is right after blooming. They are beautiful shrubs. Forsythia are pretty resilient and will regrow even when cut back to the ground. Cut it below the damage and let the whole thing grow naturally. Leaving damaged branches tied together is more likely to allow disease to take hold.

2. Also, I purchased five Allamanda bushes and am wanting to place them in a line along my fence line to keep a barrier from the street. I was not sure if people planted bushes around the outside of fences (this one is a black aluminum fence). Thanks for any advice.

Just so you are aware if you didn't already know, Allamanda will not make it through most winters in any part of TN. This means you would need to plant them again every year. Planting on either side of the fence can work but it will really depend on what you want... beauty for you to see inside the fence or hiding the fence from view of those outside. No advice there- just personal preference.

3. I have a maple and crabapple tree that are growing into really weird shapes. They also have suckers(?) on them that I am wanting to remove. Is it too late to do this? I've heard you can prune crabapple trees up to June.

Generally neither tree should be getting weird shapes unless diseased or getting poor lighting. The fact that the maple has so many also indicates some form of tree damage. Were these trees topped at some point or damaged in storm? Both trees can be trimmed now to regain some shape but you may want to consult an arborist to find out what is wrong and what you need to do to correct it.

I really appreciate the help!

Answers above in blue to each part. I hope that gives you a start.

[Raiderstudent]

Originally Posted by J&Em

Answers above in blue to each part. I hope that gives you a start.

Thanks for the responses. The previous owner's had planted the maple and the crab apple tree so I'm not sure if they were damaged before I moved in two years ago. They are probably each around 4-6 years old. We did have a semi-bad drought last year and while I watered the maple, it's leaves fell off in July. I thought it was dead, but it regrew ALL of its leaves in late October (???) and didn't shed until early January. Sort of resilient for a tree. It looks much better than it did, but it has some really large/long limbs growing and the rest are smaller that sort of distorts the look of the tree. Also, it's the slowest growing tree I've ever seen. I feel like it has maybe grown a foot or two since I've lived there.

I did cut the suckers/water sprouts off last night and they look much more normal now. Well, the crab apple tree still looks it belongs in a circus, but it at least looks like a tree. I also have a 6-7 year old cherry tree that I removed some suckers on last night as well; however, it still has one low branch that starts two feet off the ground and intertwines itself with other branches. This branch is much thicker than the newer suckers I removed (a few inches in diameter, while the tree is maybe 10 feet tall, trunk 2 ft diameter). I would like to remove this as well, but I don't want to damage the tree. Should I keep this branch on the cherry tree and allow it to naturally grow?

I had no idea about the Allamanda bushes and winter. I talked to the people at Lowe's and they acted like they would be great border bushes. This really saddens me! I read on several websites but couldn't find too much about them and I did see someone complaining about them dying in the winter, but they were from the northeast so I figured I'd be ok. Lowe's had an excess of them and clearanced several out for $4 a bush. I have planted two already, but might need to rethink my strategy there and move to laurels instead. How do Allamandas grow up to 2 meters tall if they die every year? Do people always bring them inside or keep them as potted plants?

We finished putting up a small fence around our garden/mulch area with the Andromedas. I really love those and hope they grow back. But I did cut those back past the damage last night so we'll see what happens. I also planted a Jane Magnolia next to them. I'll keep it trimmed up so it doesn't overcrowd everything else, but this seems like an excellent, smaller accent tree. I just hope it's roots don't grow into the house.