Fig. 1628. — Climbing Hydkangea. 



THE CLIMBING HYDKANGEA. 



( ' Schizophraga hydrangeoides). 



'HEN visiting the floral ex- 

 hibit of the Hamilton 

 Horticultural Society last 

 June, we also visited the 

 garden of Mr. John Knox, a prominent 

 member, who has several rarities on 

 his grounds as for example, a varie- 

 gated maple, a variegated ash, a 

 double-flowering peach, etc. But, per- 

 haps, the most remarkable of all, is a 

 climbing hydrangea, which has covered 

 half the front and a portion of the side 

 of his brick residence. We do not 

 know of another specimen of this plant 

 in Canada ; Mr. Cameron, of Niagara 

 Falls Park, who was with us, valued it 

 so highly that he said, " If it were mine, 

 I would not take $300 for that plant." 



Our frontispiece shows this beautiful 

 vine, as it appeared at the time just in 

 full bloom, and showing off to best ad- 

 vantage. We also secured a photograph 

 of one of the flower cymes, which will 

 give our readers a fair idea of its man- 

 ner of blooming 



It is a fine climber for old dead 

 trunks of trees, and does equally well for 

 wooden or stone buildings, throwing 

 out aerial rootlets, which cling quite as 

 tenaciously as the Japan Ivy. The 

 leaves are opposite, five inches across, 

 nearly round, and toothed. The flower 

 cymes are from six to ten inches in 

 diameter, and are composed mostly of 

 fertile flowers which, however, do not 

 fruit. 



300 



