88 
PLANTING HOME GROUNDS 
PRUNING SHRURS. 
The pruning of flowering shrubs requires much 
thought, patience and skill. Ordinarily most shrubs need 
little pruning except the removal of old and dead canes 
and branches. 
Before starting to prune any shrub one should study 
its shape and habit of growth. Some shrubs have an up¬ 
right habit of growth, others have a drooping or pendulous 
habit. The method of properly pruning the former would 
utterly ruin the shape of the latter. 
The directing thought in all pruning should be to 
influence the plant’s growth into its natural form, to so 
prune that when the work is completed the plant will look 
as if nothing had been cut out of it. Many shrubs are 
ruined by clipping the whole shrub across the top as one 
would a hedge. Shrubs with graceful drooping branches 
will not stand this sort of treatment. 
TIME TO PRUNE SHRUBS. 
The time of year to prune shrubs depends entirely 
upon the species. 
Shrubs which flower on the last year’s wood should 
be pruned in the late Spring or early Summer, immedi¬ 
ately after they have finished blooming. Shrubs which 
flower on the new growth should be pruned during the 
Winter when they are dormant. 
If shrubs are not pruned at the right time they may 
be weakened and their growth impaired. Various shrubs 
which are appreciated because of their attractive flowers 
may be so affected by injudicious pruning that they will 
not blossom for several seasons. Inexperienced persons 
should not be permitted to prune shrubs except under 
competent supervision. 
The following table gives the time for pruning some 
of the common shrubs: 
