December 26, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
1057 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. 
In the neighbourhood of London, when the above Hydrangea 
is annually cut down to 1 make it throw up strong shoots, it 
usually comes into bloom, about the end of August or beginning 
of September in. the open air. We now give an illustration of 
a plant which has been allowed to grow more at will, so that 
it has now assumed much of its natural habit and size. The 
heads of bloom are much more numerous, but, as might have 
been expected, they are reduced in size by comparison, with 
those produced on well-established plants that are hard cut 
back every spring. It may be a matter of opinion as to 
whether a few very large bunches' of flowers or a large number 
of small trusses are the most desirable. Furthermore, it is a 
not produce a, flower-bud at the apex Unless in the case of a 
very few that are exceptionally vigorous, and in that case it 
would be necessary to' grow the plant indoors in order to 
mature the growth and plump up the flower-buds. 
In some establishments the cultivator avails himself of this 
peculiarity by taking off the tips of the growing shoots and 
rooting them as cuttings. These, with fair treatment, will 
ripen up one large flower-bud to a plant when grown in pots 
under glass for at least a period of the year. On the other* 
hand, those who wish to flower large plants must either tie in 
the shoots entire, or at most only prune away the stragglers to 
make the bush tidy while most of the shoots are left at full 
length. 
point which we leave for our readers to decide, but the fact 
remains that this species may be treated either way at pleasure, 
and that, too, successfully. 
The plant to which we refer is growing in the gardens of 
Major Machell, R.A., the Hall, Pennybridge, Ulverston. Three 
years ago it had 300 trusses of bloom upon it, but 
during the past season it had 439. As a matter 
of course, the camera can only show those which 
are growing upon one side and the top, but a 
reference to the picture will show that the bush 
is literally covered with blossom from the ground 
line to the top, the larger cymes, being on the 
top, where growth is always strongest. There 
can be no doubt that when grown in this fashion 
as an isolated specimen it- assumes a much more 
natural form than when hard cut back, reducing 
the number of bunches to relatively few. 
The plant was propagated thirteen years ago 
and planted in a herbaceous border next to a 
sunken fence. Mr. J. Coupland, the gardener, 
sent us the photograph from which our illustra¬ 
tion was prepared, and he says that the shrub 
has received no particular attention beyond 
being closely pruned annually and given a top 
dressing of leaf mould. We presume, however, 
that the plant was not cut to the ground line or 
nearly so, as we have frequently seen it, but 
that the branches were simply shortened back 
every year. Only some of the Hydrangeas' will 
tolerate such treatment and flower. In this 
case the flower-buds are produced at the end 
of the shoots made during the course of the 
season. 
The wild type should only have a few ot the 
outer flowers or pips enlarged to act as a flag 
of attraction, much in the same way as may be 
seen in Viburnum Opulus, or even in forms of 
the common Hydrangea, where the enlarged 
flowers are very few and form simply an. outer 
ray or ring, the flowers in the centre being small 
and fertile, whereas the large ones are barren. 
In the variety under notice these enlaige 
flowers are distributed all over the truss, and photo, by Mr. J. 
only a few of the small fertile flowers are dis¬ 
tributed through the truss, according to the 
division of the same, as each individual branch 
constitutes a, division of the truss, and is m itself a c ? u “\ . 
The common Hydrangea, (H. hortensis) cannot be treated m 
the same way in the matter of pruning. The chief differences 
between them is that H. paniculata expands rtsdioweis t 
same season as the shoot is produced, whereas, m • u’i ' • * 
the flower-buds form up in the autumn, but remain in, that 
condition until growth is resumed the following spring and 
summer. That is the reason why it must not. be pruned or 
cut back as in the case, of H. paniculata It- really takes muc 
longer time to produce a shoot and develop rib flower-truss 
at the end of the same than the subject which we. illustrate. It 
follows, then, that, the successful cultivator ot H. liortensis 
must leave the shoots at full length until after* the flowering 
period is over, at all events. Even then it must not be cu , 
very hard back, otherwise the shoot-s made that summer wil 
Edinburgh Botanical Society. —A meeting of the Botamcal 
Society was held on the 10th inst. in Dowell’s Rooms, Edinburgh, 
Mr. R. Lindsay in the chair. Mr. Alexander Somerville, B.Sc., 
read a communication by Mr. James W. White, F.L.S., president 
Redhead. 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. 
Tsarrow-in-n urness. 
of the Bristol and District Pharmaceutical Association, on a 
botanical visit to the Balearic Islands in April last. It was 
stated that the flora of the Balearic Islands was rich in, beautiful 
and rare plants, and the paper described a botanical holiday m 
Minorca and Majorca at Easter time. A number of interesting 
plants were shown in illustration of the paper. Dr. R. Stewart 
Macdougall exhibited some specimens of young Spruce (Picea 
excel sa) killed by attacks of crane fly (Tipula). He stated that 
the grubs of the “ Daddy longlegs, ’ or crane fly, weie m Britain 
welbknown pests on lawns and in pastures. Some years ago 
the cricket ground at Lord’s was destroyed in patches by the 
grub eating the roots, the upper parts withering away, so that 
the killed patches looked .as if they had been scorched. The 
specimens of Spruce shown were brought from Bavaria. Besides 
Spruce, Larch and Silver Fir have been known to sufier. The 
»rubs of a species of crane fly, smaller than our well-known 
British species, gnawed away the bark of seedling trees right 
into the wood, and the young plants, quite ringed, soon died. 
