THE HYDRANGEA. 93 



say in March or April, according to the season, the 

 species may be made subservient to any circumstances. 

 It will bear any amount of cutting back, so that it may 

 be made to suit the place, whether it be large or small ; 

 and a more beautiful flowering dwarf shrub could 

 scarcely be had when it is in bloom, showing as it 

 does its perfectly round balls of bright orange flowers 

 above the foliage. 



The Eibes. 



The Ribes Sanguineum is the only one of this genus 

 worth possessing. Its treatment as regards soil and 

 pruning may be the same as that of the Black Currant, 

 but as it is not a fruit it is used as a flowering deciduous 

 shrub. This unfortunate plant is mostly treated in the 

 same way as many other beautiful shrubs, i.e. merely 

 planted among a number of others that overcrowd and 

 starve it ; and you may see it pushing a small limb or 

 a few twigs through some shrubs that do not flower 

 with much effect, or not at all, which seem almost to 

 say to the poor Ribes Sanguineum, " Keep back, I am 

 jealous of you." If those who possess such a shrub 

 would but plant it in good ground, and fairly prune it 

 annually as I have directed for the Black Currant, and 

 give it some open conspicuous spot, I can vouch for a 

 splendid spring display of its racemes of red flowers, 

 which at a distance might be taken for pendants of 

 coral. 



Old plants may be renovated by completely cutting 

 them back, which will produce a new tree. The flowers 

 come on the preceding year's growth. 



The Hydrangea. 



To succeed with the Hydrangea, one part metallic 

 peat and one part maiden loam are required. By 

 " metallic peat " I mean peat containing minerals, 

 such as iron, tin, &c. This kind of soil will produce 

 the beautiful blue colour, so much coveted in some parts, 

 in connection with this flower. 



