Shrubs and Shrubbery 



73 



Avoid heavy cutting, hacking or pruning of shrubs at one time by 

 timely and judicious pruning every year. In most cases, a very httle 

 pruning will be sufficient. 



Among shrubs that need scarcely any pruning are azaleas, Deiitzia 

 gracilis, sweet fern (comptonia), wax myrtle, mezereon, ceanothus, tree 

 peonies, shrub yellowroot, and Thunberg's spirea. On the other hand, 

 shrubs that are benefited by being cut down to the ground every winter 

 are callicarpa, Desiuodinni pcndiilifloniiu and Japoiiiatiu, the "l)lue spirea" 

 (caryopteris), and the shrub-like perennial wild senna {Cassia Marylandica). 

 Among the larger shrubs that severe annual pruning benefits are the great 

 panicled hydrangea and the tamarixes. Cut the hydrangea back to its first 

 or second joint and the heads of flowers will be much larger than they would 

 be if more wood were left. The African tamarix blooms in j\Iay ; cut it hard 

 back as soon as it has done blooming, but never at any other time. The 

 Chinese tamarix blossoms in August and September; cut it hard back in 



A vista of hardy herbs, shrubs, and trees 



