A gardener prunes the apical bud off a plant she is growing, and the plant responds to the pruning. Arrange the events in the order in which they will occur in the plant after the gardener removes the apical bud.

a. The meristem cells in the lateral buds begin to divide.
b. The lateral buds begin to receive less of the hormone that inhibits shoot elongation.
c. The balance of hormones in the (lateral buds shifts in favor of growth.
d. The plant grows shoots which elongate into branches from the lateral buds.