Amberroses, yeah - peaches need a heavy hand to shape them well. For the record though, you should only do this to a newly planted tree, or one that has been mis-managed. Do this once, then select 3-5 main shoots and try to train them out as the scaffold branches - about a 60 degree angle is ideal. I shaped mine using cloths pins. Here are a couple more in-between pics: Now that I have good scaffold branches they are permanent. Next spring I will prune so that I keep trunk + 1st tier of scaffold branches and any well formed secondary scaffold branches (which will become permanent) plus a number of temporary pencil sized branches that will produce fruit. Peaches I understand fruit best on 1 year old branches, so you manage the tree to always have a crop of 1 year old branches by the end of summer so that in the spring you get fruit=) I heard a funny idiom on how you know when you've pruned your peach enough - after pruning, it should be open enough that if you throw a cat through the center it would not be able to latch on to any branches as it sails through. To be clear - not that I advocate throwing cats - just thought it was a funny bit of old fashioned farmer's wisdom. Incidentally gatormom, this last pic shows about the time that I needed to stake this tree. Its trunk grew phenomenally this year. From about big crayon thickness to so large I can't close my hand around it now!

3/22 through 3/31 English Wallflower (2nd Sowing) Mustard Spinach "Savanna F1" Cucumber Gr HB Lupine "Russell Hybrids Mix" Lupine "Tutti Frutti" Mesclun Mix Mustard Greens Chamomile "French" Chamomile "German" Kale "Winterbor" Kale- Blue Curled Candy Tuft Lettuce "Bibb Blend" Lettuce "Oakleaf" Lettuce "Red Oakleaf" Poppies (Red) 2nd Sowing Basil Bush Minette Basil Magic Michael Basil Marseille Cephalphora Aromatica Coneflower (Purple) Marigold French "Jaguar" Marigold, Dwarf-Mixed Radicchio "Red Surprise" Radish "Easter Egg II Blend" Sweet Pea "Captain of the Blues" Sweet William "Microchip Mix" Tarragon Tansies "Jackpot" 4/1-4/9 Cucumber "Early Pride Hybrid" Gazania Sunshine Mix Greek Oregano Immortelle Majoram "Max" Marigold French "Sparky" Mexican Marigold Ozark Sundrops Peas (3rd sowing) Peas "Little Marvel" Poppy- Red Rudbeckia Hirta (from Trowel Gal) Rudbeckia Hirta "Cherokee Sunset Gloriosa Daisy" Sweet Peas (2 containers, 2nd sowing) BabyÂs Breath Bachelor Button Mixed Colors Balloon Flower "Sentimental Blue" Cornflower "Blue Boy" Yarrow "Red" English Wallflower "Mixed Colors" Hollyhock "Crème de Cassis" Aster "Crego" Mixed Colors Basil "Genovese" Basil "Siam Queen" Basil Lemon Dani Basil Red Rubin Carnations "English Giant Mixed" Cupids Dart English Daisy "Rose Ball Super Enorma" (White and Red, 2nd Sowing) Johnny Jump Up Lavatera Twins White Lemony Catnip Lupine "Mixed Colors" Lupine "Regalis Dwarf Lulu Mixed" Pansy "Acquarelle Hybrid" Mixed (2nd Sowing) Parsley-Flat Leafed Peas "Little Marvel" Dwarf (2nd Sowing) Petunias "Dwarf-Mixed" Poppy Red (2nd Sowing) Sweet Pea "Patio Mixed" Yarrow "Summer Berries" Sweet Pea "Early Multiflora Gigantea" Sweet Pea "High Scent" Vine Sweet Pea Patio Mixed Sweet Pea Patio Mixed (2 containers) 4/11- 4/16 Asclepias Carmine "Bloodflower" Chrysthanthemum "Coconut Ice" (2nd Sowing) Cilantro Sedum "Hardy Blend" Garlic Chives Monarda Didyma "Panorama Mix" Poppies "Pizzacato" Primrose Tansies Viola Catnip Cilantro (2nd sowing) Hyacinth Bean Lovage Pansy "Acquarelle Hybrid" Mixed

Kevin I'll bet you're biting at the bit to get those palms uncovered! I really thought this winter would never end, here, and I'm sorry to hear you're still there. Just for kicks a while ago I went on the USU weather station website and pulled temps clear back to '49 at the Pleasant Grove station. It seemed there was a 10-13 year pattern of catastrophically cold and wet winters. The last was '93, the two foot winter. I think '59 was the all time low here in Lindon at -19f. Previously, I assumed we'd consistently gone sub zero here nearly every winter in the past; not so, even in the sixties/seventies we'd have several non sub winters. I do think the bottom temps have gone up, but most likely more effected by heat-island effect than anything. Utah Valley has nearly half a million people now compared to less than 200,000 not that long ago - that's a lot of blacktop and houses to hold the night time temps up. Best, Alan

I think the sunscald damaged the bark and allowed the borers a weak point of entry. You can see where they ate back and forth through the cambium layer. I have seen similar damage here, where the bark cracks and flakes off from sun damage, and borers come in later. The tree is still alive so you still can paint it and treat for borers.