Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Understand why you should prune spirea. Be prepared to prune some suckers. Know when to prune your specific variety of spirea. Understand why pruning after flowering can help your plant to grow.

Answer: There are several reasons to prune spirea. These reasons include: Maintaining the height and spread of your Spirea Shrub, and to preserve an attractive shape. Removing any diseased or damaged branches and any dead growth. Encouraging a second flowering. Removing suckers and prevent the plant spreading via suckering. Some varieties of spirea produce suckers. Suckers are shoots that emerge from the roots of the plant. Suckers are eventually capable of producing independent plants of their own; suckering is one of the ways that spirea reproduces. Pinch or prune these off if you don't want your spirea to spread in your garden. The specifics of how to do this will be covered in the next section. Dead, diseased, and broken branches should be removed at any time of the year but you should only prune healthy plant growth at the right time. If you have Japanese or Bumald Spirea, prune them in early spring before the flowering season starts. Other varieties of Spirea should be pruned after the flowering has finished. For varieties of Spirea that bloom in spring, that will usually be late spring. For varieties of Spirea that bloom in summer, that will usually be late summer or fall. Pruning after flowering allows the maximum amount of time for the plant to grow fresh growth after pruning before the flowering season starts again the following year. It isn't a disaster if you delay pruning, and this won't harm the plant, but your spirea will offer less of a display in the next flowering season.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Look for knowledge of the breed. Evaluate the breeder's behavior. Assess the puppy's health. Determine if the breeder is involved in the dog community. Evaluate registration papers carefully. Ask for a guarantee. Evaluate the age of the dogs. Evaluate the payment. Notice how the breeder interacts with the dogs.

Answer: Respectable breeders will be very knowledgeable about the breed, which includes any genetic problems. Unethical breeders will not be able to answer questions about the breed, and they may try to tell you there are no genetic defects. Try asking the breeder questions about the dog or the breed and listen carefully to the answers. If it sounds like they are skirting the question or not answering, you may have an unethical breeder on your hands. Be wary of any breeder who breeds more than two breeds. Also be wary of breeders who promise "rare" dogs, or "rare" colors or sizes. Ask plenty of questions about the dogs before you buy them. You should ask to see where the puppies and parent dogs spend their time. Ethical breeders will have no problems letting you see this area. Unethical breeders will not let you see where they keep the dogs, and often only let you see one dog at a time instead of the entire litter. Unethical breeders will often request that you meet them somewhere else to get the puppy, often before meeting you. Ethical breeders will want to meet you first before letting you take the dog, and they will want to do it where they keep the puppies. Ask for health records for the puppies. Responsible breeders will have all the tests, shots, and other records from a vet. Many unethical breeders will have the care list provided on their own letterhead, with no proof they have been seen by a vet at all. Responsible breeders will not try to sell unhealthy or sickly dogs. Dogs that look sick, are too skinny, or have a poor coat may indicate you are dealing with an unethical breeder. Dogs that are scared or antisocial also point to irresponsible breeding. This is why it's important to see the puppy with the whole litter. Puppies should be socialized with the litter and their parent. Look for dirty or unhygienic living conditions. This can be a sign of poor health or health problems in the dogs. Ethical dog breeders breed their dogs to improve the breed. They are proud of their dogs and are active at dog shows and in breed organizations. An unethical breeder probably won't participate in any types of dog shows or other sports. They are not interested in the betterment of the breed, only making a profit. Respectable breeders will have their litters registered by the American Kennel Club or the Kennel Club UK. However, unethical breeders can also get registrations for dogs that are not purebred. Ask for pedigree papers and study them carefully. An unethical breeder won't have documentation of their dogs, they won't have registration certificates, and they won't have pedigrees. Be suspicious of registrations from other organizations. These don't guarantee anything. Only papers from the official kennel clubs have authority. Respectable breeders are proud of the litters they produce and put a lot of time into breeding them. This means the breeders have had the dogs tested for genetic problems that occur within the breed and can provide documentation of this. Respectable breeders will also give you a lifelong guarantee for the health of the dog, and they will have a policy where they will take the dog if you want to give it up for any reason. Be wary of "health guarantees." Not all breeders who have health guarantees will be unethical, but if you sign a contract or waiver, make sure to read it very carefully. These are usually given to remove any liability from the breeder. Puppies for adoption should be at least eight weeks old and not younger. Unethical breeders may try to get you to adopt the dogs earlier. The mother should also be at least two years old when they start having litters. Female dogs should only have had a limited number of litters. Most female dogs shouldn't have litters every year. If a breeder asks for an astronomical fee for a dog, or a large down payment, it may point to an unethical breeder. Sometimes a dog that is much cheaper than other breeders may be from an unethical breeder. Most purebred dogs are expensive, so you should check the price your breeder is charging against others. Purebred puppies can range from around $800 to a couple of thousand. Some unethical breeders and puppy mills may charge only from $500 to $900 for a dog, while a respectable breeder may be more expensive. Many unethical breeders require a large down payment up front. Sometimes, they will take the down payment and never deliver the puppy. Or they will require you to pay hundreds of dollars before even seeing the puppy. You should also see the way the breeder interacts with their dogs. Many unethical breeders abuse their dogs, so if the dogs seem afraid or skittish around the breeder, this is a cause for concern. If the breeder will not let you see them interact with their dogs or the litter, this is cause for concern. A respectable breeder will love their dogs and have a good relationship with them.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Set a budget. Choose a metal setting that complements the stone. Be aware of potential fakes. Only work with reputable dealers. Save by buying loose, wholesale sapphires. Shop online and in stores. Shop around at various jewelers.

Answer:
Know how much you can afford to spend before falling in love with a sapphire out of your price range. Sapphires can range in price from $50 per carat to more than $10,000 per carat, with the most expensive sapphire sold on record costing $135,000 per carat. The price of a sapphire is determined mostly by quality, and a large, low-quality sapphire can be a lot cheaper than a small yet very high-quality sapphire. For sapphires, color is king. Cut has the biggest impact on a stone's brilliance (how much light comes to the eye). Transparency and clarity (the number of inclusions) are also important in determining value. Settings made of cool tones metals like silver and white gold usually complements blue sapphires best. Padparadscha sapphires can look great in yellow gold settings, though, and pink sapphires look good in both silver and gold settings. Less reputable sellers may try to sell unwitting buyers a cheaper stone that looks like sapphire instead of a sapphire. Tanzanite, blue spinel, and blue tourmaline are among the stones that some may try to pass off as being true sapphires. National chains are often a good place to start because their business practices are more closely scrutinized than those of individual stores. If you do look at the selection offered by local jewelers and individual sellers, make sure that you ask to see the official certification of any sapphire you consider buying. A legitimate jeweler will be able to present you with certification from the GIA or independent, official gemstone societies. Retailers drive the price of sapphires up, since they need to charge beyond the price they paid for the stones to make a profit. Retail wholesalers, however, can sell you loose stones at close to wholesale prices. Buying loose stones and having them set separately can also cost less than buying pre-set stones, and loose stones allow you more chance to customize the piece of jewelry. Both settings have pros and cons. Shopping for sapphires online often proves cheaper than buying sapphire jewelry in store. On the other hand, shopping for sapphires in person allows you to examine the quality of the stone and the validity of the certificate with your own eyes before making a purchase. Each jeweler will have a slightly different stock of sapphires. As a result, you may be able to find two similar designs at different prices. As with anything else, shopping at multiple storesboth online and in personimproves your odds of finding the best quality sapphire for your budget.