52 PRUNING 



just mentioned, not only promotes the development of a cleaner, stronger 

 growth, and consequently finer flowers, but it often gives also a more 

 graceful aspect to the plant. It need not necessarily be an annual 

 operation, but the questions, how often? and how much? must be left 

 to the pruner's judgment. The "thinning-out" style of pruning may 

 be applied more or less to nearly all flowering shrubs ; but the shortening 

 back style of pruning must only be adopted for those that have a full 

 season of growth between the pruning and the next flowering season. 



There are some shrubs, of which Philadelphus Lemoinei may be 

 taken as an example, whose growths have the power of renewing them- 

 selves from the base every year. This philadelphus flowers about 

 midsummer, by which time the new shoots are 6 to 12 ins. long. By 

 cutting away the entire flowering shoots as soon as the blossoms are over, 

 the plant is reduced to a cluster of new growths springing from near to 

 its base. These now obtain the maximum of light and air, and during the 

 season get to be ij to 2 ft. long. Nearly the whole of this will produce 

 flowers the following year, and is in turn cut away as soon as they are 

 faded. By this treatment P. Lemoinei^ which is naturally about 6 ft. 

 high, may be kept less than half as high, and be made to produce a very 

 much larger crop of flowers for the whole plant is made up of flowering 

 wood. Cytisus purpureus, Crimson Rambler rose, and others of the 

 polyantha group, can be treated in the same way. 



