54 CALENDAR OF FLOWERING 



its orange berries. Care, however, must be taken to 

 place a male and a female near one another, as the plant 

 is diu-cious. The sort of plaee that suits it best is by the 

 side of lakes or streams in a deep moist soil, but it is 

 perfectly happy in any soil, except clay and peat, and is 

 a capital shrub to plant by the sea. It can be raised 

 from seed, or by layers, suckers, and cuttings of the 

 roots. 



Hydrangea bortensis 



Is a deciduous shrub about 3 ft. high that can be 

 grown in many varieties of colours. The blue variety, 

 which most people try to get, is generally produced by 

 some peculiarity in the soil and situation in which it is 

 grown, but if the plant is in a strong loam, this can 

 often be procured by watering plentifully with soap- 

 suds. The branches should in all cases be well cut in 

 after the flowering is over ; and it must have an open 

 and sunny spot, that is fairly well sheltered, to enable 

 the wood to ripen thoroughly. The soil should be good 

 and w^ell drained, for it needs plenty of water, and at the 

 same time should not stand in it. The best way to in- 

 crease it is by division of old well-established plants, or 

 by inserting cuttings of the half-ripened wood in 

 sandy loam, and giving them the aid of a little bottom 

 heat. 



