110 



THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



months. If bottom heat is desired, the plate may be set on 

 the back part of the kitchen stove. Oleanders usually root 

 best when mature shoots are placed in 

 bottles of water. Refractory subjects 

 may be inserted through the hole in the 

 bottom of an inverted flower-pot, as ex- 

 plained on page 89. 



Certain plants are grown from firmwood 

 cuttings, as diervillas (weigela), roses, hy- 

 drangeas (Fig. 122), lilacs. These plants 

 are woody subjects, and the cuttings 

 represent shoots that have nearly or 

 practically completed growth. The cut- 

 tings are taken in essentially the same 

 way as the .hard wood cuttings described 

 on page 104. They are 

 often used in summer, 

 when the buds have de- 

 veloped and the wood 

 has about attained its 



FIG. 122. Hydrangea full size. They 



are 



cut to two to four or 

 five buds, and are planted an inch or two 

 deep in shaded frames. They are kept close 

 for some days after setting, and the tops 

 are sprinkled frequently. Care must be 

 taken not to set them too deep; they are 

 rarely put in over an inch, if the cutting is 

 six or seven inches long. When taken early 

 in the season, they are known as "June- 

 struck cuttings." 



Several weeks are required for rooting the 

 firmwood cuttings, but good plants are obtained, which, when 

 wintered in a cold-frame, may be planted out in beds the next 



FIG. 123. Rose cut- 

 ting (x ). 



