Apbil 20, 1922 



The Rorists' Review 



31 



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FRENCH HYDRANGEAS 



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FOBOINa FRENCH HYDBANQEAS. 



For Easter and Otber Occasions. 



French hydrangeas are really French. 

 At least, they are of French origin, 

 though many of them are fast becoming 

 Americanized, They are the results, 

 principally, of the work of such famous 

 French hybridizers as Lemoine, Mouil- 

 lere, Nonin and Foucard. Though these 

 hydrangeas differ distinctly from Hy- 

 drangea otaksa, yet they are closely re- 

 lated to it. The new French varieties 

 and the old otaksa are all descendants 

 of Hydrangea hortensis. Or, according 

 to other botanists, they all belong to the 

 Hortensia group of the species Hydran- 

 gea opuloides. In other words, Hydran 

 gea hortensis, or H. opuloides, some- 

 times known also as H. japoniea, is the 

 progenitor of the whole family of fa- 

 vorite greenhouse varieties. The name 

 japonica has reference to the fact that 

 the species is a native of Japan and 

 China and has been extensively culti- 

 vated there for centuries. Thus, thougli 

 the French hydrangeas, as already 

 stated, are really French, their remote 

 ancestors were Japanese or Chinese. 

 The French hybridizers produced new 

 varieties by the manipulation of the old 

 oriental stock. 



Distinctive Merits. 



French hydrangeas have been increas- 

 ingly appreciated in recent years, espe- 

 cially as Easter plants. A decade or 

 more ago, when the otaksa type was 

 dominant, hydrangeas in flower were 

 seldom obtainable for Easter, but one 



of the chief merits 



of the French sorts 

 is their adaptabil- 

 ity for early forc- 

 ing. There is no 

 difficulty in forcing 

 them into Ijloom for 

 the earliest possible 

 Easter. In fact, the 

 French varieties are 

 exceptionally plia- 

 ble in disposition, 

 peculiarly respon- 

 sive to skillful han- 

 dlipg. They are ea-s- 

 ily propagated, 

 bloom freely even 

 when small and arc 

 procurable in nu- 

 m e r o u s beautiful 

 shades of color. A 

 stock of the plants 

 may be easily regu- 

 lated so as to bloom 

 successively for at 

 least . three months 

 — March, April and 

 May — and for a 

 longer period if de- 

 sired. The individ- 

 ual plants, also, re- 

 main long in flower. 

 H. otaksa still fills 

 an important place, 

 particularly at Me- 

 morial day and as a 

 lawn and porch 

 specimen in sum- 



mer. But for early flowering and for 

 general compliance with the grower's 

 wishes, the French varieties are un- 

 equaled. 



As regards propagation, French va- 

 rieties show their accommodating dis- 

 position not only by rooting easily, 

 whether the cuttings are taken from 

 young or partly ripened shoots, but also 

 by rooting at almost any time, from 

 early spring until late fall. The ideal 

 time, perhaps, to put the cuttings in the 

 sand is during February and March, but 

 batches may be started at intervals 

 from January till June and even as late 

 as September, and most of the resultant 

 plants may be brought into flower in 

 the following spring, in the various 

 sizes, from miniatures with one good 

 head of flowers to big, strong, many- 

 flowered specimens. In other words, 

 propagation may start as soon as shoots 

 of suitable size are obtainable and may 

 continue indefinitely. 



Plants from Late Cuttings. 



Plants from late-struck cuttings, of 

 course, will not only be comparatively 

 small, but are likely to be deprived of 

 the period of rest and ripening which 

 usually precedes the final preparation 

 for flowering, or at least the time of 

 rest must be shortened. But even the 

 late fall-rooted cuttings produce sala- 

 ble, dwarf-flowering plants by spring. 

 In most localities there is a strojig de- 

 mand for these small plants. Some 

 growers, therefore, have found it prof- 

 itable to start a batch of hydrangea 

 cuttings in the first part of September 

 of each year. Those cuttings are placed 





n^-W' ^ 



Hydrangea Lilie Mouillere. 



singly in small pots of sandy loam in a 

 frame, which is kept close and moist un- 

 til roots are formed. The little plants 

 are shifted later to 4-inch and S-yich 

 pots and are never allowed to rest. 

 They bear big single heads of flowers 

 the following spring. 



Let it be supposed, however, that the 

 grower wishes to produce good-sized, 

 well finished plants for Easter and gen- 

 eral spring sales and that he expects the 

 l>rocess to occupy about a year. The 

 early cuttings, taken from young 

 growths that show no signs of bearing 

 flowers, are inserted in sand in the prop- 

 agating bench over slight bottom heat. 

 They are potted as soon as sufficiently 

 rooted and are repotted promptly when 

 a shift is needed; they should not be 

 allowed to become potbound during 

 their period of active growth. They 

 usually receive at least a second potting 

 before the arrival of the time for trans- 

 ferring them outdoors. 



For the plants spend the summer out- 

 side the greenhouse, either planted out 

 in rich ground or plunged in their pots 

 in a frame. The grower has his choice 

 of these two methods, plunging the 

 plants or planting them out, and his 

 choice is determined by the object he 

 has in view — whether he wants the 

 largest possible plants or is willing to 

 sacrifice some of the size for the sake 

 of early blooming. 



Pot-grown or Field-grown? 



The plants that are grown in the 

 open ground will be larger than the 

 pot-grown ones, but not so suitable for 

 ejirly forcing. Usually it is advisable 

 that some, at least, 

 of the first batch of 

 cuttings be grown 

 along in pots, so as 

 to be in bloom for 

 the earliest market. 

 And, as a general 

 rule, all cuttings 

 rooted after May 1 

 give better satisfac- 

 tion if entirely pot- 

 grown. 



The plants in- 

 tended for field cul- 

 ture are generally 

 planted out in the 

 latter half of May 

 — say about May 20 

 — after they have 

 been potted a sec- 

 ond time and after 

 their tops have 

 been pinched out to 

 induce a branching 

 habit. They are 

 planted far enough 

 apart to provide 

 ample space for cul- 

 tivation. They need 

 a rich soil, with 

 plenty of water 

 throughout the sum- 

 mer and perhaps an 

 occasional applica- 

 tion of liquid ma- 

 nure. In Septem- 

 ber the plants are 

 lifted and potted in 





