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Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 387, 24 July 1889, Page 3

Shrubbery. [ All shrubs and hard wooded plants should now be planted as soon as possible. The warm spring weather will soon be causing many of them to start into growth, and it is better for planting to cease before growth starts,' as they will then start to grow with the first approach of warm weather. During the end oi this month and the beginning of the next, is the best time ot the year for thinning out old overcrowded shrubberies which have been too thickly planted ; also, for pruning back those that it is desirable to caus6 to^broak out and thicken 'more at the bottom. This work should always be deferred till* the near approach of the growing season, as then heavy pruning can bo done and young growth will - almost at once take place, thus in a very short time, hiding tho hideous effect which a severely thinned and heavily pruned shrubbery sometimes necessarily exhibits till the young growth hides the 1 bare' stumps. When loug, lanky shrubs have - to bo pruned back, it is better to make the pruning very severe, as the young growth will goon spring up and clothe the plants, and this growth, with a little care in cutting back and thinning out, can be trained to assume what habit the cultivator requires. Where it is advisable to remove large shrubs at the present time they also should- bo heavily pruned back, so as to allow the small quantity of roots a better chance to renew the plant with fresh foliage. Now id the best time to cut back evergreen fences. If cut back now they will ,soon lose the marks of the knife or scissors, Where they have become long and lanky, cut back very hard, so as to permit an entirely new growth. Wheie the fence is in good form it will only be necessary to cut it back so that the habifc will be preserved. •