SOME BEAUTIFUL SHRUBS. 



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more harm than good is often done by the indiscriminate use of the 

 pruning knife. It is a question whether it is not better to leave flowering 

 shrubs entirely unpruned than to cut them over in a haphazard manner, 

 for by so doing the flower crop is frequently lost, and the appearance of a 

 shrub, which in its natural state is elegant and beautiful, is quite 

 destroyed. The objects of pruning should be to keep a shrub shapely, 

 and by thinning out unnecessary or old wood to produce a freer growth 

 and a larger amount of flower. 



No hard and fast rules can be laid down, ior some shrubs require no 

 pruning at all, while others are improved and stimulated by the process. 

 Each individual shrub must be treated according to its requirements, 

 and these can be learned only by practical experience and observation of 

 the plants that have to be dealt with. Newly planted shrubs are often 

 greatly benefited by being severely pruned immediately after planting, and 

 this is especially the case with those whose stems die back after trans- 

 planting and refuse to break freely. 



Shrubs which flower during the spring and early summer months are, 

 of course, very numerous, the majority coming into bloom between 

 April and June. All the pruning these require should be done as soon 

 as the blossoms have fallen, as then the growths subsequently made 

 will have an opportunity to become ripened. The cutting out of stems 

 which have flowered is often preferable to merely shortening them back, 

 and this is especially the case with the Deutzias, Weigelas, Philadelphus, 

 and the like. Others, of which the Syringas are notable examples, are 

 better if shortened back when the summer growth is completed. 



Shrubs which naturally have a straggling habit often need pruning 

 back every year to keep them shapely and in place. Many subjects 

 respond well to this treatment, especially when they become old and 

 apparently worn out, and will frequently be rejuvenated by the operation. 

 The Weigelas and Ribes are particularly good examples of this. On the 

 other hand, it must be remembered that some can only be pruned in a 

 young state, the Cytisus for instance, for these refuse to send forth new 

 growth if the very old wood is cut into. 



Tender shrubs should never be pruned in late autumn, rather wait 

 until growth begins in the spring. 



As I have previously said, pruning can only be learned by observation, 

 but a knowledge of how and what to prune can soon be acquired by those 

 who take an intelligent interest in flowering shrubs, though they would 

 learn more from seeing one or two operations properly performed than 

 from reading pages upon the subject. 



Some Beautiful Shrubs. 



In choosing beautiful shrubs, suitable for gardens of all sizes, I have 

 included some which, though they may not be remarkable for the beauty 

 of their flowers, are desirable and worthy of inclusion on account of 

 their ornamental foliage, a point which is often overlooked when shrub- 

 beries are being planted. It is well to remember that the majority of 

 shrubs flower in the spring and early summer months, and when that 

 date is passed there comes a time when the value of beautiful leafage, 

 whether it be green or otherwise coloured, is fully appreciated. 



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