PRUNING REQUIREMENTS : Page 857

As referred to in the foregoing paragraph, before any pruning ofshrubs is attempted it is essential to recognize their flowering habits.The operation of pruning necessarily involves the removal not only ofdead wood but of much wood which is alive and growing; wood whichproduces flowers and, subsequently, fruit. The spring and earlysummer-blooming trees and shrubs produce flowers from buds whichare formed upon the wood during the previous growing season. Theseembryo flowers contained within the buds have existed in the bud formsince the wood of the previous season had begun to ripen, and they areprotected by the scales or outer covering of the bud until such timeas the temperature has been sufficient to encourage their growth. Itis therefore clear that any pruning which is done upon such plantsduring the late winter or early spring months, prior to the time whenthese plants have produced their flowers, is an operation whereby agreater or less quantity of flowers is deliberately removed from the plant