THE THYME. 97 



as a tribe they are well worthy of a place in every 

 select shrubbery, or as detached plants in the parterre, 

 especially S. Aricefolia and Lindleyana. There is no 

 class of flowering shrubs that is more beautiful than 

 many of these. 



The shrubby kinds require some annual pruning in 

 the month of March to regulate the growth and to 

 keep them of a compact character. Cutting back 

 annually should be done to obtain this object, and 

 handsome and healthy plants will be the result. The 

 young wood should not be cut off, but left on, merely 

 cutting back the older branches, or shortening in, as it 

 is called. 



The Heath. 



The Heaths require pruning annually to induce 

 a handsome growth. The soft-wooded sorts must 

 be pinched back while the young growth is being 

 made, and some careful pruning must also be done ; 

 but if a plant gets old and barren of foliage below, it 

 will not bear cutting back into the old wood, for if it 

 is thus pruned with a view to renovate it, nothing but 

 disappointment will be the result. None of the Heaths 

 will bear such severe pruning, and they will not break 

 into good growth from the old wood. 



All classes of Heaths must be carefully pruned while 

 they are young, or, at least, no severe pruning must be 

 done upon old ones at any time, nor with any class. 

 As soon as they have done flowering, whether they are 

 either indoor or hardy sorts, they should be pruned by 

 carefully cutting them back only so far as to leave a 

 good stock of young stuff on the plant. Hardy Heaths 

 should be cut in, so as to maintain a compact and sym- 

 metrical plant. The autumn-flowering sorts may be 

 done in the spring, and the spring sorts immediately 

 after flowering. 



The Thyme. 



Some may think it a very small matter to write 

 about pruning, or to include the Thyme in a work on 



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