WHEN FLOWERS FADE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1939, Page 9

WHEN FLOWERS FADE

COMMENCE TO PRUNE

Early-flowering shrubs. that is. shrubs that produce their flowers in the early spring and summer on the wood made the previous season, need any necessary pruning to be done as soon after flowering as possible.

Many of these, such as azaleas, will require little or no pruning; others, however, will need fairly hard pruning to encourage growth of vigorous young shoots. Berberis. of which there are so many beautiful sorts now. require no pruning except when the bushes get too Their beauty is chiefly dependent upon the berries and although they flower early in spring the flowered shoots must be left or there will be no fruits. There are two sections of ceanothus, one of which flowering in spring is evergreen: these need the growths shortened back so as to produce spurs, and of course any trimming that may be necessary to keep the bushes a good shape.

The early flowering clematis montana and its variety rubens should have the old growths cut back to where new shoots are pushing out from the older wood. The Japanese quince or cydonia should have the flowered growths cut well back, for although these will set fruit if left, it is of little or no value, 'and. it is better to prune for a good display of Bloom in spring and to sacri* flee the fruits which are of no value. The old growths of duetzias must be cut out and well down so as to encourage the production of vigorous young shoots, which will be clothed with bloom from base to summit. Forsythia should be pruned hard, and the best results are obtained from jasminurn nudiflorum when the old flowered growths are cut back to within a few inches of the old wood. Kerria japonica, fl. pl., the double-flowered Jew’s mallow, should have the older shoots cut out to the base, and the shorter stems nipped back to vigorous new shoots. The philadelphus, or mock orange, as it is often known, should be liberally thinned and the old flowered shoots removed. The dwarf-growing P. lemoinei erectus gives the best results when the old stems are cut to the ground as soon as the flowers fade. Vigorous sucker-like growths then push up to take their place, these growths being covered the whole length with bloom. Prunus triloba fl. pl., P. Japonica. fl. pl., spirea van houttei, S. prunifolia and its double flowered variety, these latter probably more often known as New Zealand may, should all have the old flowered growths cut right out almost to the ground. The flowering currants do not need any actual pruning, but are improved by having the growths thinned out. The lilacs, or to give them their correct name, syringa, should have the old flowers removed and the young growths thinned if there is any sign of overcrowding, which is not often the case. To succeed and to keep wistaria in the best condition,, the long young shoots, unless required for extension, should be shortened back several times during the season, to encourage the formation of spurs similar to the fruit buds found on fruit trees. Shrubs which should not be pruned until spring are bignonia, buddleia, colutea, carypteris, clematis jackmanii and the other late flowering clematis, ceanothus gloire de Versailles, and the other summer flowering varieties, hydrangea paniculata. hypericum. indigefera pyracanthus tamarix, spirea Anthony waterer, S. lindleyana. and the other summer and autumn flowering sorts.