Pruned pear branches forming a support for incoming peonies. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Repurpose Pruned Branches

February and March are pruning months where I live in mid-Missouri, USDA Hardiness Zone 6 but I keep Hardiness Zone 5 as my guide. The hardiness zones are a 13-year average of past temperatures. It’s best to plant for colder temperatures just in case.

Back to pruning. I prune towards the end of winter when trees are still dormant. My dwarf fruit trees get a light cut to keep them shaped; the one semi-dwarf pear tree requires a little more work because I didn’t prune it for about 30 years. Forgot I even had the tree until 2010, when paper wasps gave me my first homegrown supply of Bartlett pears.

Pruning my semi-dwarf pear tree next to my deck with this handy long pole. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Last year, the Bartlett pear tree developed very long vertical branches, which I knew I had to trim this winter.

The branches are long and easy to bend so thought I would try to use them to make peony bush supports.

Any peony supports are easy to install when the plants are just getting started.

new peonies starting to show amongst daffodils. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

I had enough pear tree pruned branches to make six of these supports. The ground was hard so I may go back and push the branches in farther after a good rain.

The top of the pruned pear branches support may need to be tied. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

The pruned pear tree branches may also need to be tied at the top. I will wait until after a good rain and I can slip the branches deeper into the ground. Then I can secure them at the top at the final even level.

Now to see if they are strong enough to support the peonies.

Charlotte