| Ay Thevilla ParkFvergreen News 
Published by 
THEVILLA PARK EVERGREEN CO, 
Pruning Evergreens. 
Can and should evergreens be pruned? Fhe answer 
is : Yes. However pruning should be done judi- 
ciously, the trees should not be butchered as 
it often can be seen. Pruning better be called 
shaping to get the right perspective as to what 
should be done. 
THE TIME FOR PRUNING. The best time for shaping 
or pruning is in spring. Either before the new 
growth starts or before the new growth gets too 
hard. Although some of the evergreens such as 
the Arbor Vitae, the Junipers or the Yews may 
be trimmed any time,as a general practice it 
is not recommended. Also the corrective shaping 
or pruning should be done when the trees are 
young. A little should be done every year if 
necessary. If one waits too long the tree will 
grow out of bounds and pruning may then result 
in disfiguring the tree. 
LOWER BRANCHES SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED. This is 
especially true of Firs, Spruces and Pines. 
Such evergreens growing with partly naked 
trunks are a poor sight. The beauty of an ever- 
green lies in its low sweeping branches. Of 
course if the branches are dead they should 
be removed. 
PRUNING FOR SPECIAL SHAPE. Where formal sha- 
ped pyramids or globes are desired a special 
form of pruning is necessary.This is best called 
trimming. Evergreens with soft foliage are na- 
turally best suited to treatment of this kind. 
Such as Arbor Vitae, Junipers, Yews, Cypresses 
and Hemlocks. Also the low growing Dwarf Mugho 
lends itself to this trimming or shearing. 
Such pruning, trimming or shearing should best 
be done after the new growth has been made. 
Sharp hedge shears should be used. 
PRUNING FOR SIZE CONTROL. Often it is desirable 
to keep an evergreen within a certain height, 
or have it to remain in proportion to the rest 
of the planting. The all important fact in pru- 
ning for size is to begin before the plants have 
grown too large.The leader or main stem should 
be cut off well below the desired height, lea- 
ving smaller branches to take its place. Lateral 
or spreading branches may be cut in such a way 
that the pruning is completely concealed, small- 
er branches from other limbs covering the cut, 
in somewhat the same way Shingles overlapp. 
PRUNING FOR SYMMETRICAL DEVELOPMENT. liost of 
the tall growing evergreens assume a natural 
pyramidal growth and any pruning necessary 
should be done to assist nature in this process. 
If for any reason some branches do not keep up 
with the others, the growth may be evened up by 
pruning back the more vigorous branches, thus re- 
storing the symmetry of the tree. This may be 
done with a sharp knife or even with the fingers. 
Or the previous seasons growth may be cut back 
to a branch or a cluster of branches. In a 
Spruce, Pine or Fir the terminal buds may be 
pinched back to obtain a dense pyramidal growth. 
This light pruning or pinching back has a doub- 
le result. It stimulates the growth of weaker 
branches and also forms a more bushy growth. 
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PRUNING BROCKEN OR INJURED TREES. Sometimes the top 
or leader of an upright growing evergreen, such as 
Spruce, Pine or Fir is broken. Ordinarily it is 
ting one of the longest shoots below the injury and 
tying it securely to a stiff stake. After a few sea- 
sons growth the repair is hardly noticable. Occa- 
sionally a tree has several leaders. The strongest 
one near the center should be selected, the others 
cut back half their size. 
THE-TOOLS FOR PRUNING. Although the pinching back 
of the terminal buds or soft branches can be done with 
the fingers a few tools are necessary for pruning, 
trimming or shesring. The first requirement is that 
the tools should be sharp. Only a sharp knife, sharp 
pruning scissors or a sharp hedge shear should be 
used. Dull tools may tear the foliage. 
