How to Multiply Your Hydrangeas— By Luke J. Doogue, 



Massa- 

 chusetts 



DO NOT BE SATISFIED WITH MERELY SETTING OUT THE OLD PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN 

 WINTERED IN THE CELLAR— WORK UP A FRESH LOT AND GET BETTER, BIGGER FLOWERS 



r 



Trim the leaves of the 

 cutting to reduce trans- 

 piration 



F you do not 

 have a suffi- 

 ciently large num- 

 ber of tender hy- 

 drangeas, (horten- 

 sias) it is a very 

 simple matter to 

 increase the stock 

 at this time of year. 

 \ Hydrangea horten- 



sis, and all its 

 forms — Thomas 

 Hogg, Otaksa, etc. 

 — c an be most 

 easily propagated from cuttings, using the old 

 plants that have been carried over winter 

 in a cool cellar, a pit, or even outdoors. 

 Some forms of the plant are much more 

 hardy than others, and will even prove quite 

 hardy in the neighborhood of New York 

 in well-drained soil. The hortensis hy- 

 drangea will always be a popular garden 

 plant, because its immense flower heads 

 attain perfection at a time when the flowering 

 season of the majority of plants is past. 

 Old hydrangea plants often get ugly and 

 ragged looking; how much better to raise 

 your own plants each season! 



Early in the spring, when the growth made 

 is just sufficient to give decent-sized cuttings, 

 every single shoot that has developed can be 

 taken off, using a sharp knife, and cutting 

 at a joint. The only thing to observe is 

 that the wood has passed just beyond the 

 first stage of succulency. If it is too tender, 

 too watery, it will not strike roots, but will 

 rot. If one crop of cuttings is insufficient 

 a second supply can be taken from the old 

 plants by merely letting them continue grow- 

 ing. The cuttings will grow if put into any 

 well-drained, open soil, such as a mixture of 

 loam, sand, and leaf mold, or coarse sand 

 can be used alone. 



Where space is of some importance, 

 place the cuttings in the sand or loam 

 close together in rows in shallow boxes. But 

 watch carefully, as cuttings thus packed are 

 always liable to rot if given too much water 

 and too little air. The box of cuttings should 

 now be put into a light place, with some 

 gentle bottom heat. Or the cuttings may 

 be put directly into very small pots — thumbs 

 they are called — and kept there until 

 crowded with roots. 



The rooted cuttings may be put into four- 

 or six-inch pots, if convenient, or, if the 

 weather is favorable, they may be set out 

 in the ground at once. Otherwise, the 

 best thing to do is to put the potted plants 

 into a coldframe. 



From now on keep the plants well watered 

 and the surface of the soil around them 

 thoroughly cultivated, to prevent caking 

 and the possible shedding of water. Hy- 

 drangeas demand a great deal of water, 

 and the measure of success in their cultiva- 



tion depends very largely on frequent water- 

 ing, and an occasional feeding of manure 

 water accomplishes wonders. 



Little remains to be done from this time 

 on — merely such pinching as may be desir- 

 able to give the plant proper shape. If the 

 plants are grown in pots entirely, the soil 

 must be rammed firmly about the roots by 

 means of a stick. 



For the winter storage of the old plants 

 it is only necessary to see that they are in a 

 frost-proof cellar, but sufficiently cool, that 

 growth will be suspended. In other words, 

 keep them dormant. Also, note that the 

 cellar is well ventilated and not choked 

 with coal gas, and sufficient water must 

 be given, if necessary, to prevent the roots 

 from becoming dust dry. 





The cuttings may be put into large pots at once, or several into one pot and shifted when ready, in 

 about two weeks. These rooted cuttings are all two -weeks old 



Twenty-five cuttings were taken from this plant 

 at the first cutting in spring 



79 



Two weeks later it looked like this, and was 

 developing another crop 



