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Shrubs and Vines (Healthy growth of new wood)

a healthy growth of new wood. Avoid pruning shrubs in symmetrical forms as one would a privet hedge; their chief beauty lies in their natural grace of outline and this must be preserved by merely shortening in any over vigorous shoots. Cut away all dead and weak wood and thin out any shoots that crowd each other and prevent a circulation of air through the center of the bush. Spring-flowering shrubs must only be pruned after bloom as they develop their flowering buds the previous year and if pruning is done in early spring these buds are cut away and the bloom for the coming season is sacrificed. Summer-flowering shrubs can be pruned either in the fall after their blooming season is over or in March before growth starts. Bushes belonging to this class produce their flowers on wood of the current season's growth. A little liquid cow manure or an application of some quickly available commercial fertilizer given to spring-blooming bushes immediately after their flowering period, aids in the work of forming buds for next year's blooming.

Most shrubs can be propagated by dividing them with a sharp spade and resetting immediately. Another method of propagating the stock is by taking cuttings 6 inches or so in length, in the fall. Each cutting must have at least two buds and the upper cut [189] should be made just above a bud. Tie the cuttings in small bundles with heavy tarred string and bury them heads up, in a well-drained soil. Mulch the ground above them with straw or leaves, when severe weather arrives, and in early spring remove the lower buds and plant about an inch apart in a trench allowing only the top bud to remain above ground. The following autumn the young plants must be well protected or dug up and "heeled in" and replanted the next spring.

Some varieties require two or three years' growth in the nursery before they can be used for ornamental purposes. Some trees as willows and poplars can be propagated in this way, and if conditions are favorable, be ready for planting in permanent quarters in one year.

Cuttings of hardy shrubs can also be rooted in a shaded cold frame containing a mixture of leaf mold and sand in equal parts. This work is done in June and July and the cuttings which are made about 6 inches long are taken from growing wood that is not too soft. Great care as to watering, ventilating and shading must be given with regularity for the first few weeks and the rooted plants are wintered in the frames and planted outdoors in rich, well prepared soil the following spring. [190] The following is a descriptive list of some of the most desirable shrubs.

Hardy Azaleas. The flowering period of azaleas extends from April to July depending upon the variety. In common with rhododendrons and laurel, azaleas prefer a sheltered, semi-shady, location in soils that contain no lime but that are rich in leaf mold; they are easily transplanted in either fall or spring. The low-growing varieties are useful in formal gardening and for introducing into the shrubbery as "facers" for taller growing shrubs. The tall-growing kinds are better adapted for naturalistic purposes and for mass plantings, in wooded and semi-shady places.