On 4/15/10 11:33 AM, madgardener wrote [in part]:
Think of when you
prune a woody shrub, for every cut across, the tree or shrub puts out
two or more branches. It may even surprise you and bloom!

This is true for crape myrtle but not for all woody shrubs. For the
salvia family -- rosemary, sage, lavender -- and for many conifers, a
cut below the lowest green foliage will result in the entire branch
dying back to its base.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary