PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 21 



ACTINIDIA. A climbing genus, easily grown in 

 warm, sheltered localities. They require very little 

 pruning, but should be watched in spring when 

 growth has commenced, or the twining shoots will 

 get into a tangled and unsightly mass. Any growth 

 not required should be cut away in winter. 



^EscuLUS (Horse-Chestnut). The common re- 

 presentative of this requires little or no pruning, but 

 the other species are benefited by a thinning out of 

 misplaced and useless branches in late summer to 

 allow light and air to the centre of the tree. This 

 is especially important to all the ^Esculus in a young 

 state, ^sculus parviflora should have a good thin- 

 ning if the branches or suckers become at all thick, 

 cutting all growths not required clean away from the 

 base. 



AKEBIA. "Akebia quinata has flowered here, on an 

 east wall, profusely for the last seventeen years, under 

 the following pruning treatment : Cover the space 

 allotted with the strongest shoots, and when new 

 growth pushes from the eyes or spurs in the spring, 

 do not regulate it, but summer-prune away all super- 

 fluous growth before it gets entangled. It is from 

 1 spurs ' that the flowers are produced, and the more 

 these are kept clear, the more matured they become, 

 and flower correspondingly." E. M. in The Garden. 



AMELANCHIER. These should be pruned after the 

 flowers are past, the removal of badly-placed and 

 weakly shoots being all that is required. If the 

 plants are becoming too large, they can be shortened 

 back at the same time. 



