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Few shrubs can amass such an array of blackfly as the viburnums and these must be dealt with, for over two or three years the shrub will be reduced to a mass of stunted twisted twig-like growths.

Spraying commences as the leaves unfurl with a derris-pyrethrum pesticide, plus a liquid soap which acts as a spreader and increases the efficiency of the chemical, and continues until late June. Shrub roses, flowering currants and some other inhabitants of the garden are prone to give board to greenfly.

Either forking or digging between established shrubs is not a practice to be recommended, for no matter how carefully employed there must be some root damage. The mulch keeps the soil well aerated while the weeds can be discouraged by the hand cultivator or a push hoe. Neither of these tools will penetrate to a sufficient depth to touch the roots.

There are, of course, the paraquat-based chemical weedkillers which can be used amongst established shrubs if the border is very dirty. Providing these do not come into contact with the leaves they will not harm the cultivated plants. The chemical acts only through the chlorophyll in the leaves so it can be sprayed right up the stems of the shrubs.

All dead or infected wood should be cut and burned. Treat wounds with Stockholm tar or Arbrex. Make sure fence posts, pergolas and other wooden structures are treated with a preservative or they can be a source of infection.

Trapping, handpicking, regular hoeing and in my garden a resident hedgehog are sufficient to keep all three pests well within bounds. There are special dusts on the market, but I avoid using them if at all possible.

When suitable weather for planting at last arrives, collect the shrubs from the heeling-in ground, making certain the roots do not dry out by wrapping them in a wet piece of sacking. did a little experiment with some seedling rowan to find out just how much difference keeping the roots moist or letting them dry out made to a shrub’s chances of survival.

In fact, I proved to my own satisfaction that just five minutes exposure to a drying March wind reduces the viability of woody plants appreciably. In the case of conifers the dehydration proved fatal in one out of every four seedling thuja lined out as a hedge.

Choose a day when the stubbornest clay runs like silk from the spade, then fine root hairs can be firmed into position with the least damage. I prefer a dull humid day if there are several shrubs to plant up as strong winds or bright sunshine will dry exposed roots in a matter of minutes.

Each year, unless the soil is very good, a feed of complete fertiliser followed by a thick mulch improves the fertility and suppresses weeds. If the mulch is composed of manure or other easily rotted material nothing more needs to be done, but with straw, cotton seed waste, or shoddy, add extra nitrogen to the feed or the shrubs will show a deficiency.

With roses, malus and indeed most shrubs, unless the roots are fleshy as in magnolia, I tip back even the undamaged roots to encourage the formation of the fibrous feeding roots essential for quick establishment. No top pruning should be necessary if the nurseryman has done his work well.

Blackbirds can be a problem as they look on the mulch as their personal larder to be investigated at regular intervals with the result that it is frequently scattered all over the path or lawn. A layer of sand curbs their enthusiasm and holds the mulch down.

The crime I once committed through youthful ignorance cured me for all time of an impetuous approach to garden landscape. Once I had decided on gardening as a career, my father suggested that I should be responsible for the -garden, over an acre in extent, which lay in the shelter of a fold in the Yorkshire Dales just below the moors.

The demands on the limited amount of land available for housing developments continue to increase and inevitably gardens will become smaller, at least those the majority of amateur gardeners can afford. To achieve a balanced design which, with the passage of time, will blend into a composite whole requires a sympathetic understanding of both soil and plants. Once this knowledge has been attained it will give immense satisfaction.

One should always try to work with the land, utilising to the fullest extent any natural features. A stream is a great asset to the garden designer for water brings movement and extends the range of plantings. A gentle slope can become a rock or heather garden, while a steeper incline can be broken up with terraces; stone is beautiful if used discreetly in broad steps and gentle curving walls. There may be a superb view which can be drawn into the garden by a framework of muted plantings which lead the eye to the landscape beyond the boundary. There is the same initial excitement of anticipation when moving into a house with the garden already established.

An argument frequently put forward against a garden devoted entirely to shrubs is that each individual has only one season of show. This supposition betrays the most appalling ignorance. The Honeysuckle Azalea, Rhododendron luteunt, becomes a mound of funnel-shaped, sweetly scented flowers in spring while in autumn this most lovely shrub makes a colour carnival as the foliage changes to orange-crimson, even deep wine purple. Or possibly a better example would be Amelanchier lamarckii which has leaves of copper red in spring, then white flowers, and finally during October a rich colouration of dying leaves. A well-designed shrub border should be a garden for all seasons with the contrasting of deciduous and evergreen genera, balanced so that even in the austere aridity of December the picture created is sufficiently inviting to encourage a closer inspection.

Only when it is obvious that the garden is incapable of supporting them or they are obviously moribund should any trees be removed. Anyone with a small garden dominated by a sycamore, chestnut, ash or beech will understand how difficult gardening can be with both root competition and shade of the calibre which these trees provide.

At times when the thick glacial clay was at its most affectionately clinging, or when in July I watched dahlias, roses, and delphiniums being torn to shreds by a capricious wind, the thought of letting heather and bracken take over once more crossed my mind. However, the intervening years have seen hedges grow to provide shelter and a stand of young spruce now blocks the westerly wind tunnel. The clay has improved to the extent that, though still powerfully adhesive, the plants thrive on the strong diet.

So much mystery and potting shed black magic has been woven into the work of propagation that the amateur, not surprisingly, makes a very tentative approach to the seedbox and propagating bench. Once the first inhibitions are lost there is a whole new fascinating field of gardening to be explored with possible attempts at hybridisation to evolve new varieties.

Leave the seedlings undisturbed till they are several inches high and then transplant them at the normal planting season for the species, giving them ample room for further development. They can then be grown on for at least another year by which time they should be big enough to go out into their permanent quarters.

A sheltered bed facing west or north, well provided with sand, will do fine for hardwood cuttings. There may be room to make a light sun frame which extends the range of semi-hardwood cuttings. Seed can be sown in pots, stood in the airing cupboard until germinated, then grown indoors until they are large enough to go outside. just a cheap, modest way of filling a garden with a large array of shrubs.

Having during over thirty-five years of gardening spent hours working many feet above ground level I speak from experience. Any limbs to be removed must be cut close to the trunk or the branch from which they spring. Indeed, this applies in all pruning; snags harbour pests and diseases which will ultimately destroy the host plant. Large branches should be under cut for at least a quarter of the way through which prevents ugly splintering of the stem. Better still take them down piecemeal by means of a rope, or call in a specialist who is properly insured. Dress all wounds with coal tar or a similar antifungicidal substance.

The bed must be well drained, and if the soil is at all heavy it will be necessary to work in a dressing of coarse sand. It must also be completely clear of weeds. Seed should be sown in the same type of soil as that favoured by the shrub or tree i.e., peaty soil for peat lovers, ordinary loamy soil for the great majority that will grow anywhere and so on.

Some seeds, mainly those contained inside berries and hips, need to go through a period of preparation known as stratification before they are sown. This simply means mixing the berries and hips, after they have been collected in the autumn, with sharp sand, then placing the mixture in a 5-in. pot and leaving it outside over winter. Care should be taken to label each species. Some fine zinc gauze should be placed over the top of the pot to prevent mice from eating the lot. The mixture will then freeze and thaw alternately throughout the winter and this treatment helps the flesh of the berries and hips to decay. In the spring the container can be emptied and the sand and seed sown in drills on the prepared bed where they will germinate quickly.

Evergreen shrubs, as for example rhododendron, berberis, and garrya, do not need regular or systematic pruning. Occasionally they are forced out of shape by wind or broken by snow, become thin or grown out, then the gardener must use secateurs and saw to restore equilibrium.

I always carry out heavy pruning, of evergreens just before growth commences in the spring. This stimulates growth just when conditions are the most favourable. Light pruning, frequently required to keep Berberis x stenophylla or escallonia within their prescribed limits, should be performed immediately after flowering.

A sharp saw, well-maintained pair of secateurs, and a razor-edged knife are prime essentials. I also include as supplementary equipment a tin of Stockholm tar and a brush for treating cut surfaces if any very large branches have to be cut away.

Experience has taught me that it is better to remove the short-lived shrubs like cytisus, cistus and roses completely. After a few years of neglect these are just clutter and will hamper the work of rehabilitation.

Though the division is arbitrary, shrubs can be split into two groups; those which flower in the summer on the current season’s growth, and the second group which is much larger and includes all the early-flowering shrubs which contribute so much to the beauty of springtime. They flower on wood made the previous year, producing flower buds before the onset of winter which remain dormant until spring, whereas with the first group, growth and flowering take place the same year. Flowering is, in fact, the climax of the season’s growth.

Pruning can be phased out over two years so that the effects are not drastically obvious or the shock unbearable to the plants. By careful feeding, manuring and pruning, an apparently derelict border can be restored.

Contented on acid or alkaline soils, I use the genus extensively especially in the ground-hugging forms. They are so useful for covering steep banks or manhole covers, bad workmanship in rock gardens or marking the edge of a drive. Juniperus communis is our own native juniper and as such should be duly honoured. It is indestructibly hardy and has served me well in a dozen unpromising places. Though found in the wild growing mainly on lime soils, it has accepted acid, ill-drained clay with no outward signs of bad health.

Erecta makes a pyramid of light green while the grey feathery-leaved fletcheri has a tendency to spread under heavy weights of snow, but it is still a worthy contender for a place in the garden. Wisselii is the most tightly erect of all and in youth its branching pattern shows a whirled effect. I nip the top out of the cuttings to encourage this. C. obtusa nana is a jewel with tight fans of mossy green leaves and a neat and compact habit. C. obtusa crippsii is a small slow- growing loosely conical tree and it makes one of the loveliest small garden conifers.

The Creeping Juniper, Juniperus horizontalis, is a remarkable conifer. A single specimen in 10 years will cover an area of 18 sq. ft. The leaves are a lovely glaucous grey in summer and silver purple in winter. Douglasii and Bar Harbor, a shade taller growing, both have the blue-grey colour which becomes a rich plum purple with the onset of winter. There are few better ways of clothing a steep slope with easy to maintain attractive foliage than by a selection of prostrate dwarf conifers, including always at least one form of J. horizontalis.

Juniperus x media is one of the classifications conveniently devised by botanists as a lumber room in which to push everything which will not fit elsewhere. Undoubtedly, J. xmediapfitzeriana is an integral part of any conifer planting I ever plan. It is a wide spreading tiered shrub with the droop at the tips. Quietly dressed in attractive grey-green, it is a comfortably handsome shrub in every respect.

Cupressus macro carpa rivals Cupressocyparis leylandii for speed, and is a valuable hedging and shelter belt tree on the coast. I have plants in my garden which are 12 years old and each winter I expect the worst, but providing they are left unclipped all seems to be well. The golden form lutea is a delightful shrub with soft yellow foliage.

I only know Ginkgo biloba, the Maidenhair Tree, from the specimen growing in my garden, though I have seen some fine well-grown trees elsewhere. No one can truly understand a plant until they have lived with it, but one thing it does need is a well-drained soil or it mopes in a most -unmaidenly manner. The fan-shaped leaves from which it gets its name turn a pleasing shade of yellow in autumn.

Of all the hedges, the common beech, Fagus sylvatica, did the most to make gardening tolerable on the wickedly exposed site at Harlow Car. Perhaps its one fault was that the leaves. retained during the winter. were usually shed just when all my attention had to be concentrated on seed sowing and the other delights of spring.

Contrary to popular belief the beech is tolerant of a wide range of soils including this heavy clay of mine. I do not clip for the first few years, with the possible exception of shortening back the longer side branches, but just let the hedge make height without discouragement. Plant at 12 to 18 in. apart. If coloured varieties are required 5 purple or copper to 3 green is about the right proportion. Some years ago, eleven to be precise, I was given three or four different ‘plum’ hedges to try. Prunus cerasifera atropurpurea, mixed in the proportion of 2 to 1 with East Malling Myrobalan B, was one.

Both Griselinia littoralis and Laurus nobilis make impressively beautiful foliaged hedges in favoured areas. Indeed, when grown in a suitable climate griselinia will accept any soil or aspect. even growing under oak trees. Plant the griselinia 11 to 2 ft. apart, the Laurus nobilis at 2 ft. Trim as required during the growing season.

Prunus cislena has a leaf which in sunlight glows deep scarlet and spaced at 12 in. apart it makes a fine dwarf hedge to top a retaining wall or terrace. The blossom and scarlet growth make this small shrub a special favourite of mine though, no doubt, the excellent colour is in part due to the fact that I spoil it with extra feeding and mulching. Some roses make colourful hedges, but I have seen few preserve the neatness essential in a small garden, or if they did then there were no flowers.

The bushes were planted 36 in. apart but this could be reduced to 24 in. to achieve a quicker coverage. Trim in the first years with secateurs. then ignoring the fact that some of the foliage effect is lost trim the bushes with shears in May or July.

On acid soils Rhododendron ponticum will make a labour-saving barrier, but tends to be rather slow growing. The spacing is 24 to 36 in.There are, of course, other evergreens which make hedges.

A cold frame need not be elaborate or very big and there are times when an orange box has served the purpose extremely well. To maintain the general appearance of the garden I prefer something neater made in wood, brick. breeze block, or cement. I use a two light frame, too big for cuttings really but it fills in for .seedlings as well.

Ideally they should be 2 to 3 in. long, thin and short jointed. As with all cuttings remove the leaves from that part of the stem which is to go below soil level. These should be cut with a sharp razor blade and not pulled away as this damages the stem too much. It is important not to leave too many leaves on a cutting as these will increase the rate at which water is lost through transpiration which the cutting may be unable to makeup, causing it to wither and die. At the same time the base can be trimmed back to immediately below the leaf joint making a nodal cutting. The Majority of cuttings root most readily from this point, but there are exceptions which should be trimmed between the leaf joints to make internodal cuttings. As would be expected, the time of availability for softwood cuttings is rate spring or early summer, i.e. May and early June.

For those who prefer them, the no-soil composts based on peat are very good value. Once the seedlings are large enough, prick them out into John Innes Potting Compost No. 1 . which is made up of 7 parts sterilised loam, 3 peat, 2 sand, plus 4 lb. of John Innes base fertiliser, and 4 oz. of chalk to each bushel of the mixture. John Innes base fertiliser is made up of 11 oz. of hoof and horn, 11 oz. of superphosphate and 4 oz. of sulphate of potash.

Although this is traditional it is not essential in most cases. An indication of ripeness for rooting is when the lower portion of the stem is to be taken can be bent without breaking. An average length of 4 in. is what I would expect for this type of cutting, but as always there are exceptions, in particular heathers, which vouchsafe a niggardly 12 in.

A hardwood cutting is the best material for a raw beginner to make a first essay into the fascinating realms of plant -propagation. These can be taken at leisure during the autumn and winter, whenever the weather is mild. They can be rooted either direct into the open border where they more or less look after themselves, apart from an occasional check to make sure the frost has not lifted them, or into a frame. Out of doors I have a narrow.border only 21- ft. wide for case of maintenance kwhich has served the purpose of a rooting nursery admirably for many years.

Only practical experience will teach the gardener how to select the best material, but some points are common sense. Cuttings are only taken from those shrubs which are true to variety, vigorous, and free from disease. They should also be taken from vegetative shoots and not those which end in a flower bud. They should be inserted into the rooting medium as soon as possible after being severed from the parent as there is then less risk of drying out. If for any reason this has to be delayed wrap the ends of the cuttings in moist cotton wool or sphagnum moss and put them in a polythene bag. This will keep them fresh for a short time.

Annual dressings of organic matter, once the shrubs are planted, maintain the humus essential to a healthy soil. One of the contradictions of gardening is that organic matter is the finest conditioner for both light and heavy soils. With the former it increases the water holding and nutrient capacity; with the latter it facilitates the aeration and drainage by opening up the tightly packed particles.

At this stage it is invaluable if some member of the family can be called in to assist as general factotum to move the stakes about as directed.

Remove the existing soil to a depth of 15 to 18 in., mix in the compost and if the soil is heavy a dressing of coarse sand. Where the border is rough dug then left to weather the sand is unnecessary.

I look back with pleasure on long winter evenings spent completely oblivious to the passing of time, planning shrub border after shrub border. After careful observations, many visits to new gardens, and discussions with beginners to gardening, I am convinced that one of the commonest mistakes and the most expensive is to overplant.

There is no check to the most delicate genera, for with moderate care the root system is undisturbed and the shrub is unaware of the move. Above all exact colour of foliage or flower can be studied before buying so that attractive blends and contrasts may be achieved with the attendant pleasure of seeing the pattern grow as the work proceeds.

Planting is almost .a ritual with me; shrubs are expensive so every care is taken to ensure success. Into the wheelbarrow go spade, fork, string, a sharp knife or secateurs, and a tin of sealing compound for treating large cuts or damaged bark. I return immediately for a barrowload of riddled soil mixed with bonemeal for working around the fine roots.