THE GARDEN PRIMER 



of the branches with their growing terminal buds, — 

 being a process that encourages the growth of lateral 

 buds (that are waiting for just this to happen) into 

 shoots or young branches, of course increases the amount 

 of new, therefore of fruit-producing, wood. 



Among flowering shrubs the lilac and hydrangea 

 afford much the same contrast as the apple and peach 

 among fruit trees. Hydrangeas bloom on wood of the 

 season's growth, lilac on wood of the pre\dous season. 

 The former may therefore be pruned very early in the 

 spring without danger of destroying the blossoms, but 

 the latter should only be gone over with the knife imme- 

 diately after flowering. This gives the plants a chance 

 to grow branches for the next season and to stov/ them 

 with flower buds before frost interferes. 



Always keep in mind that pruning at the ends of 

 branches stimulates excessive growth of shoots, up to a 

 certain point — of course it is possible to overdo the mat- 

 ter and kill a plant altogether by never giving it an 

 opportunity to recover from its many wounds — and 

 that the way to thin shrubs therefore, is to look beyond 

 the branches that are too numerous down to the stalk 

 whence they spring, and cut them off at their very 

 beginnings or cut out the stalk at the ground. Other- 

 wise they will produce shoots themselves, and double 

 the number that is choking the bush, instead of reduc- 

 ing it. 



But the final word is always "restraint." Dead 

 wood and weak wood should be cut from shrubs, super- 

 fluous branches which crowd a tree should be taken 



36 



