132 LITTLE GARDENS 
It is thickest near the bottom, as it should be, gracefully tapering to 
a point at the top. A hedge of this kind is very strong. It does 
not take up as much room as one similar to that shown in the first 
illustration, but gives due shelter to garden crops, admitting plenty 
of sunshine and light, and does not entail much labour in the 
cutting. 
The following sketch shows a hedge with a bad base at A. There 
is always a cold current of air blowing through a fence of this kind 
which retards the growth of tender plants near it. Inexperienced 
persons often cut away the shoots near the base of a hedge because 
they are, at first, naturally weak there. These basal side shoots 
should be gradually brought out 
to the proper length to form the 
base, and afterwards kept trimmed 
so that the bottom of the hedge 
will be the strongest part of it. 
Very severe cutting back of Thorn 
and similar hedges should be done 
in the autumn and winter time, 
not in summer. 
Pruning.—To keep shrubs in 
good shape and within bounds it 
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BAD 1s necessary to prune. Just as the 
HEDGE TRIMMING. plants vary in manner of growth 
so also must the pruning vary. 
Most of the pruning is done in the winter. A few general rules may 
be safely followed. In the first place cut out clean to the base all 
dead wood; thin out, rather than shorten back, all overcrowded 
shoots, whether weak or strong, and regulate or balance the growth 
of all robust growing shrubs; to do this it is often necessary to 
prune very hard. 
_ Differences in Pruning.—<As showing the wide difference in 
the methods of pruning, let a contrast be drawn, for example, 
between the mode of flowering and the consequent pruning of the 
Broom (Cytisus) and the Wistaria. In the former the flowers are 
produced throughout the whole length on long graceful shoots, and 
in the latter they arise from short stunted spurs on the old wood. 
To attempt to prune back the Cytisus in order to form spurs would 
be to court failure, but with Wistaria spur pruning is best. To 
shorten the elegant flowering shoots of Cytisus would be to destroy 
its natural beauty. In fact the best thing to do with an established 
Cytisus is to leave it alone. During the first year or so, however, 
the young plants need cutting back to form a good foundation. 
Heaths or Ericas are also better left unpruned so long as the old 
tlower heads are removed. 
Pruning is not entirely a winter operation ; it is often advisable 
to resort to summer pruning. Many shrubs flower on the wood 
made in the previous year, whilst others bloom on the young wood. 
