PRUNING 25 



There are two types of shrubs (Chapter XLII-A, Page 296), one of which 

 is the spring or early-flowering shrubs, such as Van Houtte's spirea, 

 weigela, snowball, and most golden-bells, producing flowers on wood 

 formed during the previous year. The other type consists of plants 

 which produce flowers during the late summer and fall on the growth 

 of the current year. This type includes the rose of Sharon, the 

 hydrangea, and the common elder. The general rule for the pruning 

 of flowering trees and shrubs, in order to encourage the development of 

 more flowers, is to prune soon after flowering. Unless one has a defi- 

 nite knowledge of shrubs, this rule should be applied literally. The 

 other rule is that spring-flowering shrubs should be pruned in the early 

 summer immediately after they are through flowering, and the summer- 

 flowering shrubs can be pruned to the best advantage in the late 

 winter and early spring before growth has commenced, to avoid the 

 possibilities of winter-killing. Lilacs also should be pruned during 

 the early part of the summer and shortly after the blooming period is 

 complete and in every instance before the seed pods have formed. 



Spring-blooming plants should be pruned within a week after the 

 blossoms fall to encourage a summer growth of budded wood which 

 will be well ripened by winter. 



Summer-blooming plants may be pruned either in the late summer 

 or just before spring growth begins, to force a new spring growth 

 upon which summer flowers appear. Late summer pruning is never 

 advisable. Some shrubs, such as lilacs, flowering dogwoods^ and 

 rhododendrons should not be pruned except to remove dead and 

 diseased branches, or branches that interfere with the development 

 of the plants. Deciduous shrubs of which the wood has become in- 

 curably aff'ected with scale may, however, be revivified by being 

 cut down to the ground. In the case of plants that form ornamental 

 fruit the branches should not be cut back far, nor the pruning done 

 after the fruit buds have formed. 



Any dead or dying wood should be removed as soon as noticed. 

 In the case of summer-blooming shrubs pruning is best done in the 

 early spring after the leaves appear, in order to remove winter-killed 

 tips. 



Old wood should be cut out to prevent shrubs from getting "leggy, 

 i. e., having all top with no foliage around the base. In removing old 

 wood, cut to the base of the plant; otherwise sprouts will shoot up from 

 Stumps and fail as the latter decay. New growth should always be 



