Shrubs and Hedges: Discover, Grow, and Care for the World's Most Popular Plants

The Future of Shrubs

Many more stories about the history of shrubs could be told. Sadly, many of their histories have been obscured by the commonality of the plant in present day. An ordinary shrub today could have helped feed or medicate thousands in the past, but the story wasn’t documented. Our botanic gardens and arboreta are extremely important as the record keepers of plant expeditions, discoveries, and new variations in species. Pressed plants or herbarium specimens from the original plants discovered are also housed in botanic gardens and become a huge database for research. They keep these valuable plants in front of the public’s eyes. The next time you are looking at a plant in a garden center, nursery, or big-box store, think about how that plant may have gotten into your hands. It may have been propagated for generations, and someone long before us may have protected it from extinction.

The azalea collection at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Winterthur, Delaware

Specialty Pruning Techniques - Creating an Alleé

This photo shows the cuts made over time to create the arching structure at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Dallas, Texas.

1. This alleé was once a hedge or had been headed back or topped. You can see the knotted growth in these areas (A).
2. They removed all the excess growth and selected the branches for top growth (B). They thinned and also did directional pruning.
3. The selected canopy branches are left to grow upward (C).
4. To make this an alleé, some large limbs at the base were removed from the inside (D), which helped to thicken the remaining ones that fashion the arching branch effect. These are classified as thinning cuts and directional cuts. Notice how the base branches are facing outward.
5. Now the only time they prune is for the three Ds. The beautiful hot-pink blooms can be seen as you approach the alleé in mid- to late summer.