MOST WOODY PLANTS have a lifespan; some trees live for centuries, whereas smaller shrubs like lavender last just a few years. The definition of a shrub, as opposed to a tree, is that regeneration emerges at ground level, where a rootstock forms. When there is too much wood, the shrub has to work harder to supply the growing areas with sap, and pruning creates space for new growth to emerge closer to the rootstock.
Throughout their lives woody plants are subject to adverse conditions: wind, frost, drought, browsing, infestation by insects, parasites and fungal growths, or encroachment by other ...
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