362 



rUIXCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



tender to frost, some pruners leave them untouched until 

 spring, others give a preliminary pruning in the fall, 

 protect the plants with mulches and give the final prun- 

 ing in spring when the winterkilled stubs may be cut off. 

 This encourages the development of 

 strong and numerous shoots which bear 

 abundance of flowers in due season. 



To sum up the thought in the pre- 

 ceding paragraphs, the general rule for 

 both cases mav be expressed in three 

 words: PRUNE AFTER FLOWER- 

 ING. This means that, for flowers, the 

 spring-blooming subjects should be 

 pruned within a week of the fall of the 

 blossoms ; in the case of the summer 

 bloomers, that the work may be done 

 either in the autumn or at latest Just 

 before growth starts in the spring. 



Plants properly pruned when trans- 

 planted, given good soil and sufficient 

 food to make them grow well, and 

 ample space in which to develop into 

 good forms often need some pruning 

 other than that already described; 

 namely, they may need to have their 

 interiors opened up to admit light and 

 air. This may usually be done by cut- 

 ting out old center stems. Of course, 

 any dead or dying wood should also be 

 removed as soon as noticed. Except 

 for such work, little more may be 

 necessary than the occasional repres- 

 sion of a rampant growth. 



269. Evergreens. — With respect to 

 evergreens, the one rule to bear in 

 mind is : Postpone pruning until the 

 spring, since the danger from drying- 



FIG. 297 — RED BUD 

 Blossom buds of 

 the Judas tree or red 

 bud (C e r c i s) are 

 borne almost sessile 

 on the branches in 

 spring before the leaf 

 buds have expanded 

 to any extent. What 

 folly to prune any but 

 dead wood out of such 

 a tree after midsum- 

 mer I 



