88o 



Gardening for Amateurs 



a leader. This is fairly easy in the case of 

 broad-leaved trees, but more difficult with 

 conifers. Next remove or reduce those 

 branches that are likely to interfere with its 

 development, and subsequently shorten the 

 lower branches. It is a good plan to remove 

 a branch entirely here and there, for if 

 shortening only is practised, the trees have 

 an ugly, stiff, stick-like character. In all 

 cases the branches must be removed quite 

 close to the trunk, the cuts being made 

 parallel with the bark of the trunk, or in the 

 case of branches which are shortened the 

 cut must be made to a side branch. All 

 wounds ought to be dressed with coal tar as 

 soon as made, otherwise there is a possi- 

 bility of fungus spores entering the wood 

 and eventually causing decay. Branches 

 wounded by storms should always be cut 

 off clean and tarred over in the same manner. 



Where dead stumps of branches occur, 

 or hollows have been formed in the trunks, 

 the stumps should be cut away and the 

 wounds tarred over, hollows being cleared 

 of dead wood as far as possible and the 

 inner parts painted with a strong carbolic 

 acid solution. This may be followed by 

 a coat of tar, after which the holes must 

 be filled up with cement, or bricks and 

 cement, level with the bark, the surface 

 being tarred over when dry. Some people 

 cover such places with sheets of lead or 

 zinc, but it is a bad practice, for dirt and 

 insects manage to find their way beneath 

 and decay often goes on unnoticed. Pruning 

 such as this may be practised with all strong 

 or large-growing trees, and the best time to 

 attend to the work is from June to late 

 autumn. Vigorous pruning must not, how- 

 ever, be given to old Birch trees. 



Pruning Flowering Trees. Such as 

 Thorns and Pyrus require a little thinning 

 occasionally, but the less pruning that is 

 done to Plums, Cherries, Almonds, Peaches 

 and Laburnums the better, more especially 

 after the branches have attained the age of 

 5 or 6 years. Pruning while the trees are 

 young is recommended in each case, and so 

 long as pruning is confined to stems that are 

 not more than two years old little harm is 

 done in after life, but all these trees have 

 serious objections to anything approaching 

 the severe pruning of large branches. 



Pruning Evergreen Shrubs and Small 

 Trees. When Evergreens require severe 

 pruning the best time for the work is 

 April, for then the roots are active and the 

 growing season at hand. Therefore the 

 plants begin at once to repair the injury ; 

 whereas when the pruning is carried out in 

 winter, there is a period of several months 

 during which the plants are dormant, and in 

 addition to their looking ugly during the 

 time it is likely that certain parts will die. 

 In April, however, Laurels, Bays, Rhodo- 

 dendrons, Hollies, Evergreen Oaks, Privets, 

 Aucubas, Yews, Gorse and various others 

 may be cut back into hard wood with 

 safety. Light pruning may, however, be 

 carried out any time during summer, and 

 the same remarks apply to the ordinary 

 clipping of hedges. 



A word or two may here be urged against 

 the barbarous plan which prevails in some 

 quarters of close-clipping certain Evergreens, 

 more particularly Hollies, under the cloak of 

 pruning. For some reason, the idea has 

 gained currency that a Holly, to be a perfect 

 plant, must be so clipped that it looks as if 

 turned out of a mould ; whereas a plant 

 which has been allowed to develop in a 

 natural manner is infinitely more beautiful. 



There are certain dwarf Evergreens of the 

 Heath class which have to be pruned at 

 different periods, and the guide to time is 

 their period of flowering. As a rule, all that 

 is required is the removal of the old flower- 

 heads, which may be done as soon as the 

 flowers fade, or in the case of those which 

 bloom throughout late autumn, the plants 

 may be cut over any time during winter 

 or early spring. Rhododendrons, that need 

 light pruning only, should be attended to as 

 soon as the flowers fade ; the old flower- 

 heads ought to be removed from all the choice 

 kinds as soon as the flowering is over. 



When Berberis stenophylla and B. Dar- 

 winii are grown as hedge plants, the necessary 

 pruning must be conducted as soon as 

 possible after the fall of the flowers, and no 

 other pruning must be given until the fol- 

 lowing year. Bushes of these two sorts 

 require no regular pruning. Ivy on walls and 

 fences must be clipped in as hard as possible 

 in April, then late in July cut away strong 

 shoots growing in undesired directions. 



