Gardening Today: Removing Dead Branches from Trees

My husband and I were up early today because if we are going to do any work outdoors it has to be early in the morning because afternoons are too hot. Here in the central states, we have extreme heat and drought. To give you an idea the average temperature has been 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 110. We are both used to working outdoors, but this extreme heat is just too hot.

I have been weeding the garden beds and my husband removed the dead branches from the Mimosa tree and also trimmed the branches that are too close to the windows on the side of the house. Then my husband pruned back the poison ivy that was growing over the wall. I cannot touch it but for some reason, he can pull it out with his hands and it does not bother him.

We worked together today on manicuring the trees and also treated the flowers, shrubs, and around the trees with a soap wash to get rid of the aphids, spider mites, and beetles

Learn more about mimosa trees by reading my blog post here.  Know that our mimosa tree is no longer flowering so it is safe to trim back the branches to encourage growth and many blooms next year.


Happy summer gardening everyone. If you are out in the garden be sure to have some water close by. Keeping your body hydrated is the best way to prevent heat stroke.  

Learn more about pruning your flowering trees by viewing this video.