THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



w ' Zm 



Fig. 1713. — Centre Spray Deutzia " Pride 

 of Rochester." 



flowering shrubs is late in autumn or 

 early winter ; a sharp pruning-knife, or 

 a small pair of grape pruning-scissors is 

 all that is necessary for this purpose. 

 The method usually adopted by success- 

 ful growers of these plants is termed the 

 " thinning back " or " thinning out " 

 system, which is carried out practically 

 by cutting out the most prominent 

 branches or shoots, that project beyond 

 the tips of the growth that is to form 

 the general outline of the plant, so that 

 when the pruning is finished it leaves 

 the plant of a natural looking uniform 

 shape. The branches or shoots should 

 be severed at a point near to or below 

 the base of the young growth it is 

 necessary to remove, thinning out all 

 parts of the plant equally, so as to leave 

 the plant evenly balanced, and natural 

 looking. 



A correct eye for form, and a little 

 study of the growth necesary to give the 



best results to produce bloom the fol- 

 lowing season, will soon enable anyone 

 to become proficient in what is some- 

 times thought to be a difficult operation. 

 Many varieties of flowering shrubs can 

 be kept in good shape and a supply of 

 cut flowers obtained from them in sum- 

 mer for indoor decoration, by judicious- 

 ly cutting out the most prominent 

 branches or spikes of flowers ; this can 

 be easily done without any injury to the 

 plant, if care is taken not to cut too 

 much of the plant away in any one par- 

 ticular place. 



To be successful in growing flowering 

 shrubs, this system of pruning, as ex- 

 plained, must be commenced when the 

 plants are young, as when once they are 

 allowed to get overgrown and out of 

 shape, it is difficult to successfully bring 

 them into proper shape, to produce a 

 supply of flowers. 



The selection of flowering shrubs for 

 small lawns is often a difficult matter, 

 not only from the large variety there is 

 to select from, but for other reasons. 

 The highly colored, deceptive plates 

 sometimes seen in catalogues and cheap 

 horticultural papers, as well as the glow- 

 ing and sometimes inaccurate descrip- 

 tions given of plants, are some of the 

 difficulties encountered in making a 

 selection ; the omission, in some cases, 

 altogether of any particulars as to the 

 size and habit of the plant does not im- 

 prove matters in this direction. It is 

 pleasing to note however, that reproduc- 

 tions from actual photographs of plants 

 and flowers are being much more gener- 

 ally used to illustrate catalogues and 

 horticultural periodicals. These, if well 

 executed, give faithful representations 

 of the subject they are intended to illus- 

 trate ; at least, so far as form of flower 

 or habit of plant is concerned. Their 

 deficiency in coloring is at any rate not 



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