132 PLANT CULTURE 



Culture. The plants should be kept in a coldframe where, if 

 properly protected from sudden changes, even a hard freezing in 

 December will not harm them if they have been gradually hardened 

 off. About Christmas they should be brought into the greenhouse 

 and kept a week or ten days at about 45 degrees; then gradually 

 moved to 50 and 55 degrees as they begin to grow. By the middle 

 of January they should be showing some progress, and from that 

 time forward they should have plenty of water and light. A tem- 

 perature of 55 to 60 degrees should bring them along nicely for 

 Easter. If backward in early March, a slightly higher temperature 

 may be required, but should not be employed unless deemed abso- 

 lutely necessary. Frequent syringing wiU be of great benefit. Field 

 grown plants potted up in late October and weakly developed pot 

 grown stock will not make satisfactory Easter plants, and should 

 i»e saved for Memorial Day or later. 



Propagation. Hydrangea hortensis and its varieties may be 

 propagated either in Spring or Fall. When the work is done in 

 Spring the cuttings must be taken from plants which are being forced 

 in the greenhouse, the wood of which is in excellent trim for the pro- 

 duction of strong, healthy roots. Those shoots which show no signs 

 of blooming are the ones to be taken for propagation. The cuttings 

 root very readily if given a syringing overhead two or three times 

 daily. Pot in 3-inch pots and plant out from these about the middle 

 of May. Or the plants may be potted into 5-inch pots and plunged 

 in weU-rotted stable manure. They are, however, easier looked after 

 in the field, and there make plants every bit as good. Moreover, 

 when lifted and potted they can be given fresh soil, which wiU suit 

 them when taken into force in the beginning of the year; whereas 

 those in pots may not require shifting, so far as their size is concerned, 

 and yet be benefited by fresh soil. Where Hydrangeas will stand 

 the Winter some of each kind should be planted out permanently, 

 so as to give an abundant supply of material for cuttings. These 

 cuttings should be taken during the Autumn months, encouraged to 

 fill their pots with roots, and then go to rest. When given a shift 

 from 3-inch into 5-inch pots, and brought gradually into warmth, 

 they develop very large heads of bloom, and toward the latter part 

 of their development liquid manure is necessary. 



INGA. For flowering in a cool greenhouse during March and 

 April, but only in roomy structures, there are few things to surpass 

 /. pulcherrima in the brilliancy of the flowers. These are arranged 



