TO PRUNE OR NOT TO PRUNE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 December 1938, Page 3

TO PRUNE OR NOT TO PRUNE.

Flowering shrubs make much of the beauty of spring and are general favourites. Lilacs planted as specimens or in groups are delightful when given room for development. Lilacs enjoy a rich loamy soil and, being gross feeders, will respond generously to an annual mulch of old manure applied immediately after flowering, and a sprinkling of bonemeal should be given at the same time. All the pruning required is the removal of spent flower heads, long weak straggling shoots, and all suckers. Sometimes an old plant becomes impoverished and its annual wood development is poor. It may then be prunned hard and so encouraged to form new growth. This should not be done until absolutely necessary. The forsythias have made a good show this spring, and they flower on the ripened wood of the previous year’s growth, so when the flowers fade the old flowering growth should be cut away. Blue is always a welcome colour and the spring and early summer flowering varieties of ceanothus will provide it in abundance. These are pruned after flowering in a similar manner to the forsythias, by cutting away the old flowering growths. Flowering currants which are very hardy, succeed in any soil. After flowering cut away sufficient of the old growths to allow room for the new wood. The hybrid brooms do not usually thrive well in a wind-swept position. They prefer light rich ground and shelter from high winds. Under these conditions they will grow and flower well in spring. After blooming, the old flowering stems should be. removed, but the brooms should not be cut back into the old wood. Shorten the shoots to within about one foot of where they start from the older growth. With weigelia, remove the old flowering stems and give the plants a generous mulch of old manure. These shrubs appreciate a rich soil. The'philadelphus ask for no regular pruning, beyond the removal of loifg, straggling shoots, and a judicious thinning of the old flowering wood.

To many gardeners. Viburnum Carlesii with its deliciously scented pink flushed flowers, is the queen of early flowering shrubs. It requires no pruning, but it is of the utmost importance to remove any suckers as soon as they appear. They are so much like the growth of the plant itself in appearance that a. careful watch should be kept for them. ■ The many beautiful cherries and apples provide the highlights of the spring display. These do not need pruning in the ordinary way, but when a head becomes crowded, it is advisable to remove a branch or two to let in sun and air. When rhododendrons pass out of flower, the spent flower trusses should be removed at once. Growth is retarded if they are allowed to remain. Such popular spiraeas as arguta, prunifolia, and. Thunbergii flower on the ripened growth of the previous year. Remove old flowering shoots when the flowers fade.