c.(j«,,t. a? -as -'#*•. Three Ways to Grow Ornamental Shrubs - J«H-$/»«r»«. 



ORNAMENTAL shrubs are propagated in three principal hotbed sash. After that a larger volume of air may be admitted, 



ways — by cuttings, by layers and by seeds. The quick- but never enough to make a draft, 



est results are obtained by cuttings, and the type of the The important points in this process of rooting green-wood 



parent plant is always best preserved by this method or by cuttings are: Keeping the cuttings from wilting before they 



layering, though layering is slower and is usually resorted to are placed in the sand; keeping the sand always moist, but not 



only in the case of shrubs that are 

 propagated with difficulty by cut- 

 tings. Propagation by seeds is an 

 easy but slow method, and does not 

 always preserve all the desirable 

 qualities of the parent plant. 



Propagation by cuttings is per- 

 formed in two ways: The first con- 

 sists in taking from the parent 

 shrub in summer what are usually 

 called soft, or green, wood cuttings, 

 or in some cases half-ripe wood 

 cuttings of that season's growth; a 

 greenhouse or conservatory, or hot- 

 bed or cold frame, is necessary for 

 the successful rooting of such cut- 

 tings. The second method is to 

 take from the parent shrub, after it 

 is entirely dormant, usually in 

 December or January, cuttings of 

 mature wood of the previous sum- 

 mer's growth; these may be placed 

 in a cool, frost-proof cellar to begin 

 the process of rooting. 



When a greenhouse or conserv- 

 atory is available ,a propagating 

 bench should be built, preferably on the north side, where 

 it will be least exposed to the sun. This bench is simply a 

 table with strong legs, of convenient height, about three feet 

 wide, and of any desired length, the boards of the top being 

 placed a quarter to half an inch apart, to provide drainage. 

 Along the four edges of this table are nailed strips four inches 

 wide, transforming it into a shallow box. 



If a greenhouse is not available a hotbed or cold frame may 

 be used. Instead of a propagating bench it will be necessary to 

 make boxes about sixteen inches square and four inches deep, 

 with cracks between the bottom boards for drainage, which 

 may be set level in the shadiest part of the bed or frame. 



The propagating bench or boxes should be filled with pure, 

 clean sand, such as masons use in making mortar or concrete, 

 the cracks between the boards being covered with clean pebbles 

 or coal cinders. The sand should be leveled and firmly com- 

 pacted by striking it with a brick, and then wet thoroughly. 

 This makes the bench or box ready to receive the cuttings. 



Rooting in Moist Sand 



Cuttings may be taken from the rather firm green wood or, 

 in the case of some shrubs, from the half-ripe shoots of the 

 season's growth in June, July and August. These shoots, from 

 four to six inches long, should be removed from the parent 

 shrub with a sharp knife, not with shears, and wrapped at 

 once in wet newspaper to keep them from wilting. Before they 

 are placed in the propagating bench or box they may be 

 trimmed by cutting off half an inch to an inch from the tender 

 tips, all the leaves for about two inches from the butts, which will 

 be buried, and one-third of each of the remaining leaves, if they 

 are large. 



See that the sand is wet throughout. Then make a wooden 

 peg about six inches long, half an inch in diameter at one end 

 and tapering to a point at the other. With a straight-edged, 

 narrow board placed across the bench from back to front as a 

 guide draw lines in 

 the sand three 

 inches apart, and 

 with the peg make 

 holes along the lines 

 two or three inches 

 apart and one and 

 a half to two inches 

 deep. 



Place a cutting in 

 each hole and make 

 the sand about it 

 very firm. Sprinkle 

 the cuttings after 

 they are placed in 

 the sand. 



During the first 

 ten days only a lit- 

 tle air should be ad- 

 mitted, by raising 

 the greenhouse 



The Hardy Hydrangea is Propagated From Green 

 Wood Cuttings 



ventilator or the 



Spircea Can be Propagated in Four Different Ways 



wet; admitting pure air, but no 

 direct draft; and carefully shad- 

 ing until roots begin to form. 



After the cuttings have formed 

 roots an inch long they should be 

 lifted out of the sand with a trowel 

 and transplanted into mellow soil 

 in the garden or field, about six 

 inches apart in rows. They should 

 be set out firmly, watered freely 

 when planted, and shaded by news- 

 papers or thin cloth. 



Propagating by dormant cut- 

 tings of the previous summer's 

 growth is the simplest and easiest 

 of all methods. In December or 

 January, when the shrubs are dor- 

 mant and the foliage has fallen, 

 cuttings from four to six inches 

 long may be taken with a sharp 

 knife. A shoot that is long enough 

 may be divided into two or more 

 cuttings. Remove all side twigs. 



Fill one or more boxes about 

 twelve inches square and eight 

 inches deep with sand, firmly com- 

 pacted to within an inch of the top of the box. Moisten the 

 sand thoroughly and with the peg make holes an inch apart. 

 Put in the cuttings top end up so only two of the dormant 

 buds are above the sand. Place the box in a cool, frost-proof 

 cellar or garden pit and leave them until spring. 



Propagation by Seeds 



In spring, as early as the ground can be worked, these cut- 

 tings, most of which will have formed calluses on the ends that 

 were buried in the sand, should be planted in the garden or 

 field, about six inches apart in the row. A year after this plant- 

 ing they may be transplanted to permanent positions. 



Propagation by layering is an excellent method in the case 

 of almost all ornamental shrubs when only a few new plants 

 are desired. Natural layering is common. One of the lower 

 branches of a shrub becomes decumbent, and a portion of it 

 near the body, perhaps including one or two joints, becomes 

 covered with soil and leaves. Roots are usually sent out at 

 these joints. When they are well developed the shoot is cut off 

 between the roots and the parent, and is transplanted. 



Propagation by seeds requires a longer time to obtain a 

 shrub of suitable size for permanent planting. Seeds of shrubs 

 may be divided into two general classes — those contained in a 

 dry, herbaceous ovary, or seed pod, as the seed of syringa or 

 hydrangea, and those covered with a fleshy substance, as the 

 seed of viburnum and barberry. 



Shrub seeds should be planted either in the autumn, soon 

 after they are gathered, or in the following spring. Seeds cov- 

 ered with a fleshy substance should be removed from it by 

 rubbing them between the hands after they have soaked for 

 several hours in water as warm as the hand can bear. The 

 seeds may be sown in a mellow garden or cold frame in shallow 

 drills, the depth depending on the size of the seeds, or they may 

 be stratified or placed in alternate layers with pure, moist sand, 

 in a box which is kept in a cool cellar or garden pit, or, with a 



cover, buried below 

 the frost line in the 

 garden. In' spring 

 these stratified 

 seeds are sown in 

 drills in the garden. 

 Most shrub seeds, 

 whether sown in 

 fall or in spring, 

 germinate the fol- 

 lowing summer, but 

 some, as holly and 

 viburnum, usually 

 do not germinate 

 until the second 

 year. The seedlings 

 maybe transplanted 

 when they are one 

 year old. 



The following or- 

 namentals, which 

 are among the most 



