hawthorn, among the deciduous; and arborvitae, hem- 

 lock, Japanese cedar, and the Japanese holly, among the 

 evergreen plants. These will all stand shearing well and 

 can be trimmed into almost any desirable shape. 



For hedges that are given more room and will be 

 allowed to flower, many of the smaller flowering shrubs, 

 such as spireas, hydrangeas, roses, and Deutzia gracilis, 

 are valuable and attractive. These should be pruned 

 carefully to promote flowering, and never sheared into 

 formed shapes. None of the flowering shrubs should be 

 sheared when planted either singly or in groups, as this 

 not only interferes with the production of flowers by 

 removing the young wood, but also changes the naturally 

 graceful shape into something resembling a magnified 

 whiskbroom. A good rule to follow in pruning shrubs is 

 to cut back the fall-flowering ones in the spring, and the 

 spring-flowering ones after they have done blooming. 

 Every other year or so some of the old wood should be 

 removed so that the younger or more vigorous shoots 

 may have a chance to develop. This is called the 

 rejuvenating system of pruning shrubs. Evergreen shrubs 

 like rhododendrons, holly and the evergreen and decid- 

 uous azaleas, need very little if any pruning, but it is of 

 great advantage in the case of the azalea and rhodo- 



