„£Q 
4 
PRUNING 
Do not bo afraid to cut your shrubor 
Yi 
car. lasting harm bo done by cu'ting toe much# 
as soldonly 
OVw vT-.,-. . . 
trees 1 out 
u hr ••be • ana 
■ in a border-or scroon can usuallv' be allowed bo 
grow inrotty nearly as thoy wish without pruning * as they 
will go’, too large in such locations. However, when 
thoyipot old pruning•is often advisable for rejuvenation 
purposes, as it induces new growth which is the most beau 
t * r\ n 
11 Ui. -■ 
.Aside from this rejuvenation, the main purpose of 
pruning should bo to assist nature in growing the plant 
into ‘its natural form, and to keep the. size of plants in 
bounds where thcy-a.ro in a restricted position, such as 
foundation plants. 
Prunina is a thinuine a. xl heading back process# 
| I:n a tree the branches that arc dead, those that ar 
ruble in another, those that are too close to ’another, are 
removed by cutting off flush with the trunk. In old tree 
the -remaining branches are often cut back (the 
VC pi"« 
lit'. 1 
cul 
off. 
to induce now growth and now life. 
* 
In a shrub the principle is very much the.same#• The 
oldest branches are thinned cm 
.at ti¬ 
de ground*or near it. 
and the others cut back enough to agoid' a scraggly appear 
ancc. Sunlight wi.ll o nicer and new shoots will bo sent up 
from ‘the ground to.replace those removed. 
In a coniferous-(cedar type) evergreen, the pruning 
is usually mostly the hutting back process, performed by 
Shear-Lug or clipping the "ends-of-the branches until a uni 
form appearance is obtained# This makes the dense outer 
growth that is so much desired in foundation evergreens a> 
is also the moans of keeping them 'in bounds, especially i 
the-top-is cut also. For evergreens that are wanted tall, 
the top should not be cut, but all ’’leaders" except that 
of the -main central stem should be cut back,or out# 
In order to keep plants within bounds, they can bo 
cut back ruthlessly, and,also thinned out# 
Time to prune. YJhenover you have your knife is tin 
to do a little shaping of a wild branch and other minor 
operations. In fact there are. fear times when pruning wil 
