Training Bush Specimens When the plants are growing away well in 3in(8cm) pots, remove the tips of the shoots at three sets of leaves and allow side shoots to produce two or three sets of leaves before removing their tips. The procedure-known as stopping-is carried out as many times as the size of plant demands. The plants will flower about seven weeks after the final stopping. Always stake and tie all plants securely. Hanging baskets Choose a cultivar with a cascading habit of growth, i.e. Trail Blazer', 'Eden Beauty', 'Cascade', 'President Margaret Slater'. The training is the same as for bush specimens except that after planting in the basket allow all growths to produce six or seven sets of leaves before stopping. The growths will then cover the sides of the basket, and the resulting side shoots may be stopped at two sets of leaves before flowering. Standard specimens When selecting plants to be grown as standards, it is worth looking for those plants which have three leaves at a joint instead of the more usual two (see Fig.132). This characteristic is sometimes varietal in origin and sometimes a result of climatic conditions. In a group of 20 cultivars it would be reasonable to hope to find three or four plants with this characteristic. With such a plant three shoots will break after each stopping instead of two, so making a bushier head. When calculating the total height of a mature standard specimen remember that the head, when complete, will add t to 2ft(30 to 60cm) to the stem from the position of the first stopping. Remove all side shoots while the stem is still growing, except for the last three or four sets of leaves. Do not remove leaves when taking away side shoots because these help the development of the plant by drawing up nutrients from the pot. All growths which result from the final stopping of the stem should then be treated as in bush-specimen pruning to form the head. Cultivars for growing in this way include: 'Avocet', 'Mission Bells', 'Sleigh Bells', 'Snowcap', 'Party Frock' and 'Olive Jackson'. Pyramid specimens An upright, single-stem plant is selected and grown to a height of 2ft(75cm). Remove the tip and allow side-shoots to develop. These are stopped at two or three setsof leaves, but allow the topmost shoot to continue to grow upwards for a further 12 to 151(30 to 38cm). Stop again, allowing more side-shoots to grow. This process is repeated until the required height is reached. It will often take two years to produce a well-shaped plant. Suitable cultivars for this form of training are: 'Moles-worth', 'Television', 'Rose of Castile' and 'Southgate'. Fan specimens Select a strong-growing cultivar such as 'Jack Acland' or 'Swingtime'. Allow the plant to produce four or five sets of leaves before making the first stopping. When the side shoots have made good growth train to the fan shape. Stop these shoots when they have produced six or seven sets of leaves.