176 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March f j, 1909. 
— The — 
Propagation of the Common Hydrangea 
C 
The common Hydrangea may be pro¬ 
pagated either in spring or in autumn, 
dependent upon the relative size the 
grower would like his plants to be. Usu¬ 
ally the object is to get one large truss of 
bloom, and with that object in view cut¬ 
tings about 3 in. long are selected and a 
few of the lower leaves removed ready for 
insertion in small pots in light sandy soil. 
If the propagator commences early in 
spring he should secure a slight heel of 
the old wood, as the young wood will yet 
be rather soft and inclined to damp. A 
little artificial heat would be an advan¬ 
tage in spring, consequently only those 
who have heated greenhouses, or the 
means of affording a little artificial heat, 
should attempt their propagation at that 
time. With this convenience, however, 
there is no difficulty in rooting the cut¬ 
tings at any time after they are large 
enough and sufficiently firm to emit roots 
without damping. 
About the end of August, or the be¬ 
ginning of September, anyone with the 
convenience of a cold frame can propa¬ 
gate the common Hydrangea. As a rule, 
no cuttings would be obtainable from the 
shoots which have just about finished 
flowering, but on large bushes there are 
always some of the branches which have 
not flowered. The best of them should 
be selected and prepared as shown in the 
accompanying illustration. They should 
be inserted firmly in light sandy soil to 
the number of three in a 3 in. pot. They 
should be placed in the frame and the 
latter kept close until the resumption of 
growth shows that the cuttings are rooted. 
Some air should then be given for a 
(Hydrangea hortensis). 
few days to harden the cuttings which 
may then be potted off singly and re¬ 
turned to the frame. They will soon take 
to the fresh soil, after which the ashes of 
the frame covering them may be pulled 
right off so that the young plants may 
have full exposure to sunshine and air. 
When the pots are full of roots assistance 
may be given by weak liquid manure 
twice a week. This will impart vigour to 
growth and give the leaves a rich green 
appearance. Towards the end of Sep¬ 
tember they should be gradually allowed 
to go dry with the object of ripening off 
the wood and causing the leaves to fall. 
The terminal bud, if the treatment has 
been good, will be large and plump, giv¬ 
ing promise of one large truss of flowers 
for the following spring or summer, ac¬ 
cording to the degree of heat to which 
the plants have been subjected to start 
them into fresh growth. 
The plants propagated in spring will 
be taller, with a stronger stem than those 
struck in autumn, but a good use may be 
found for both sizes of the plants in the 
conservatory. When growth starts in 
spring weak liquid manure can be given 
until the flowers commence to expand. 
This will ensure vigour of growth and a 
massive truss of bloom. See the accom¬ 
panying diagram for compost. 
-- 
“ Arbor Day ” was celebrated at the 
Garden City, Letchworth, on February 
27th in very wintry weather, and during 
tbe afternoon some 7,000 Scotch Firs were 
planted. Over 100,000 trees have already 
been planted throughout the city. 
In many gardens this vegetable is con¬ 
sidered of very small account, which I 
think is a great pity, as it is not only 
one of our most nutritious foods, but also 
when properly cooked and served, it is 
one of the most delicious dishes one could 
wish for. While not very fastidious as 
to soil, the Bean, like most other vege¬ 
tables, well repays good cultivation. 
Deeply dug and well-manured ground ot 
a fairly heavy description produces the 
finest Beans, but any soil, if well worked 
and manured, will carry a paying crop. 
The first sowing of Early Mazagan may 
be made as early in February as the 
ground can be worked. Make furthei 
sowings of the finer varieties during 
March and April. Give' 30 inches be 
tween the rows, and 4 inches from Bear 
to Bean in the lines. So many fine varie¬ 
ties are now on the market that it is 
difficult to name the best. Here I fine 
that Bunyard's Exhibition and Aquadulce 
do very well. Last season Messrs. A. 
Dickson and Sons, of Belfast, sent me 
their new Milecross Monarch for tria 1 
and this is certainly the very finest Bean 
I have ever grown. Many of the pods 
contained seven seeds, and the flavour is 
of the best. C. Blair. 
Preston House, Linlithgow. 
-- 
Zonal Geraniums. 
A New Method of Wintering. 
The amateur cultivator on the- Conti¬ 
nent, like his fellow gardener in this 
country, often has a difficulty in winter¬ 
ing Geraniums owing to the lack of a 
heated greenhouse. In Belgium a plan 
is adopted by some amateurs as recorded 
by La Tribune Horticole. Instead of 
taking the cuttings at the end of August, 
they are taken at the end of September. 
The cuttings are cut 3^ in. to 4 in. in 
length and the leaves completely removed. 
After allowing them to dry for a short 
time they are inserted three together in 
3 in. pots. They are then placed in a 
cold frame and kept close. At the end ot 
three weeks, the result being pretty well 
assured, the plants are taken out and the, 
frame filled with dry leaves, heaping them 
up to some considerable depth. They are' 
then covered with a layer of soil till about 
14 in. from the glass. The pots are after¬ 
wards replaced upon the bed of soil with¬ 
out plunging them, and care is taken to 
remove the leaves from the cuttings a 
second time. This operation completed, 
the plants are then dusted rvith flowers of 
sulphur to heal the wounds where cuts 
were made, to prevent damping. Aii 
should be given at all times when the 
temperature is suitable. No water should 
be given during winter. If damp should 
again appear the dusting of sulphur is? 
to be repeated. No doubt some bottom 
heat would be engendered by the thick 
bed of leaves and by this means frost i; 
kept out. The means is not costly and 
anyone can try it. 
Notes on 
Broad Beaps. 
Propagation of Hydrangea hortensis. 
