Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1905-04-29
HOW TO PRUNE THE LILAC
Use a Fearless Hand When You Begin
the Work But Take Care to Leave
Lowest Branches.

The lilac is one of those dear old
fashioned shrubs that everybody loves
and nobody wants TO do without, but it
Is often m%ishandlcd and thus fails to
be as beautiful as 1t might be, Julia
Rogers, in the March number of Coun-
try Life, gives some directions for
pruning that may be put in practice
this month. and which we commend
to those who have lilacs. Mrs. Rogers
says:
THE ideal lilac bush Of any variety
is an oval of green leaves that is GOV
cred at blooming time with its char
acteristic flower clusters. do not
mean literally covered, for each clus-
ter needs a background of green. And
the beauty of the bush is further en-
HANGED by the room PROVIDED for eacn
limb, not only to develop its best TO
liage and largest flowers, but TO swing
and nod in every breeze that goes by.
Color, fragrance and form in a bloom
ing lilac bush are all good points; add
grace of motion and its charms are
doubled.
"Lilacs have their blossom clusters
in their winter buds. If our bush has
never seen the pruning shears, it is
badly choked with limbs. The strug
gle Of these has produced a vast num-
Der of inferior twigs and flower clus-
tcrs.
ut is March and We stand beside the
bush and hesitate. It is dreadful to
sacrifice buds which in a few weeks
will burst into radiant bloom. Let us
remember that the bush will concen-
trate all its forces to maze the best
possible flowers on the branches we
leave. The SUI will get IN and do its
perfect work. enabling the leaves TO
make more starch than was possible
in their crowded condition. This addi-
tional food makes finer flowers.
First, cut ont at the ground the
gnarled limbs whose knotty twigs and
stunted buds prove that they have out
lived their usefulness. These dragged
| Fhlt lll' bNNh hhN u N'Nhib'l' Nv
hopeful look. Now prune away every
twig. great or small, that is broken or
rubbed, or Is in any respect unhealthy
looking. Cut clean and close-leave no
rough edges to delay the healing proc
ess. Next cut the weakest among in
,erfering twigs. Cut back Maynard
limbs to bring the bush into symmet-
| rical shape. Cut off root suckers. They
come from below the graft, and would
therefore bear the inferior flowers of
the stock.
Nov. if you have left a clean,
thrifty bush of good sha > and plenty
of room you may consider that You
have done a good job, though half Of
the wood lies in a brush neap along
side. Remember, the brush had been
neglected; the first pruning was neces-
sarlly radical and severe. Watch
through the summer. and the bush
will show You whether or not you
trimmed IL too well. Lilacs have op-
posite leaves, therefore, opposite
branches. Every twig you cut back has
sent ont two end shoots to replace the
one lost, These cover the bush with
fresh leaves the first of the year, and
form flower buds for the next. There
is no danger of the top remaining
scant.
THE principal thing not TO do in
I.I,,. o,I L., III atL,, rl,~,Ir ,a a.. ,"t
off the lower branches. A bush should
rest upon the ground-its foliage and
mowers should meet the green grass,
A 1eggy' underpinning of matted stems
is an eyesore, no matter what wealth
of vegetation surmounts it."