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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



301. Beginning to prune a Deutsia crenata. The 

 strongest last year's flowering shoots are first attached. 

 Put the shears low down as possible 



them. Thousands of shrubs all over the 

 country have all the flowering shoots cut 

 from them by the "trimming up" they get 

 in the spring from the unskilled jobbing 

 gardener, or from the owner of a small garden 

 where no skilled labor is employed. If 

 you don't know how to prune the shrubs 

 yourself, or cannot get time to do it — which 

 of course you can if you want to — don't 

 above all things turn the shrub over to the 

 tender mercies of the ordinary hired man. lie 

 si.nply does not know how and goes ahead 

 severely cutting back without any idea of 

 how the shrub will develop later. 



302. Having cut out the old wood on one side 

 of the shrub, finish by trimming bacK the long strag- 

 gling ends of the remaining shoots 



When you do prune the shrubs, cut out the 

 old limbs down at the ground line; a short 

 stub, which would be entirely wrong in the 

 pruning of a tree, may be left in the case of 

 flowering shrubs, as there is no objection to 

 leaving some stubs at the base, and it is often 

 very difficult to get at them with the pruning 

 tool without injury to the other shoots. 



PRUNING FOR FORM 



The pruning for shape and general con- 

 dition of the shrub is governed by the neces- 

 sities of each situation. In open spaces it is 

 best to give the plants free scope to grow, 



303. Pruning bacK the last straggling end. See 

 what is cut out I The bungling pruner fails because 

 he simply shears bacK everything 



and the pruning for flowers alone will suffice, 

 except so far as may be necessary to remove 

 any damaged branches, or any that will inter- 

 fere with the proper growth of others. 



Shortening of flowering branches must be 

 done in the most delicate manner. Remove 

 only a few inches from the top of the longest, 

 and that only as is really necessary to keep 

 the shrub within bounds. This detail is 

 best attended to during the winter or spring 

 when the actual wants can be fully apprecia- 

 ted and no error is likely to be made. Sum- 

 mer pinching of the shoots as they grow 

 helps greatly in ripening up the wood for 



304. Rosa rugosa is pruned by thinning out 

 crowded shoots and'shortening the rest a few inches 

 at the top. The strongest growths are retained 



305. After the thinning shorten bacK all others, 

 leaving them long or short, depending on whether 

 you want quantity or quality 



306. The finished rugosa rose bed: pler.ty of 

 room for next season's growth. Only strong wood is 

 left. This will make a shapely bush 



