There are several reasons for pruning a tree or a shrub. Why? To
remove dead wood, which should be cut back to healthy wood. Also
remove small twigs that intersect each other. Removing branches
that have flowered gives greater vigour to the new branches that
will flower in their turn. You need to remove too strong a
concentration of branches in the middle of the plant, preventing
air and sunlight from coming through. Pruning achieves a
pleasing shape and encourages the growth of more flower-bearing
shoots. Spring flowering shrubs should be pruned at the end of
their flowering period. Summer flowering shrubs should be pruned
at the end of winter. In practice pruning cuts away the branches
that have flowered after the shrub's flowering period. Sometimes
a shrub has not been pruned and has grown considerably. The
centre of the shrub is bushy and the branches are tangled. It is
therefore necessary to intervene as soon as the flowering period
is over. Remove the older branches (the wood on these is darker)
and red