Shrubs and Shrubbery 8i 



have hedges of California privet set around their grounds. These hedges 

 are pruned two or three times during the summer, and the cuttings are 

 usually thrown beside the road. Occasionally persons going by have picked 

 them up and carried them home. At present, there are probably twenty- 

 five or thirty fine hedges in the vicinity which are the direct result of these 

 cuttings. If the owners had purchased the plants from a nursery the hedges 

 would have cost from ten to twenty dollars each; as it is, they cost 

 only a few hours' labour. Privet cuttings root easily, and at any time 

 from spring to fall 



I have stated these facts merely to show how easy it is to acquire or 

 increase shrubbery. Of course, not all plants increase with the same readi- 

 ness. Some must be propagated by cuttings, some by layerings, some by 

 grafting, and now and then there is one with which the amateur is sure to 

 fail. But I venture to assert that, with the great majority of shrubs, the 

 beginner will find but little difficulty. As a rule, I have found it best to 

 insert the cuttings in the spring, before the buds have started. Most hard- 

 wood cuttings, if desired, may be prepared during the winter and placed 

 in the cellar, to be ready to plant out as soon as the grotmd opens. Cover 

 the bundles with a thin layer of soil, if the cuttings are to remain in the 

 cellar for some time, to prevent drying. Hydrangeas and some other 

 shrubs can be rooted as late as June. Willows and California privet will 

 root any time during the summer. 



Cuttings should be made from four to six inches in length, and if possible 

 should be inserted in a moist piece of ground. They may be placed very 

 close together in rows made just far enough apart to cultivate easily. At 

 the end of the first year they will be large enough to transplant. 



Another plant that bothered me at first was the hardy rose. I tried 

 cuttings in the greenhouse and out, and in all seasons of the year, but met 

 with indifferent success. At last I put cuttings in an old coldframe that 

 was partly open to the weather. During the winter the frame was frequently 

 half filled with snow, but the next spring I had a fine lot of thrifty young 

 rose-bushes. If I had inserted the cuttings early in the spring, before the 

 leaves started, I think they would have done just as well. A good plan 

 would be to insert rose-cuttings between the rows of coldframe cabbage 

 and cauliflower plants. It would save space, and both would come out 

 in the best of condition for early transplanting. 



These examples, I hope, will show that any one with patience and a 



