THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
271 
AMERICAN “EVER-BLOOMING” HYDRANGEA. 
This Hydrangea botanicallv named, Hydrangea Arbor- 
escens Sterilis is called also “Snowball Hydrangea,” “Hills 
of Snow,” “Grandiflora Alba,” etc. The name under which 
it has been known in one considerable locality for fifteen 
years, as both descriptive and appropriate is, “American 
Ever-blooming Hydrangea.” 
This is believed to be the most beautiful hardy flowering 
shrub introduced during the last twenty years. It was 
found growing wild on the rocky hills of western Pennsyl¬ 
vania several years ago, and finally was introduced into 
central Ohio by Mrs. Mary Kelley when she removed from 
Pittsburgh many years ago. From this introduction 
numerous plants have been grown and planted in that 
locality, so that many plants are now growing, three to 
eight years old, and blooming profusely from early June 
till toward Autumn frosts. 
The old and well-known Hydrangea paniculata grandi- 
flora, which, up to the introduction of the new form, has 
been one of the most popular flowering shrubs, blooms only 
in this latitude during August, while the new sort blooms 
continuously from early June until the end of the growing 
season. The size of the flower is one of the striking features 
of this shrub. Blooms twelve inches across are frequent in 
young plants, while the average size on mature plants is 
usually six inches or more. The color of the flower is a pure, 
dazzling white, without the creamy, and later pink, tints of 
the old H. paniculata grandiflora. The length of time this 
whiteness is retained depends somewhat on local conditions, 
but usually from four to five weeks, when the flowers begin 
to change gradually to a light green color, and by October 
the flowers and foliage are of a similar shade of green. 
The flowers, when cut, possess remarkable keeping 
qualities, remaining in good form and color many days. 
This feature renders it specially valuable for florists’ use. 
This hydrangea is also said to be one of the very best 
shrubs for forcing under glass, equal to any other used for 
that purpose; easily brought into bloom for Easter sales, as 
well as for later events. It is claimed that 8 to 12-inch 
plants can be brought into bloom along with geraniums and 
other bedding plants, when their large, showy blooms will 
attract general attention. 
This hydrangea gives every promise of becoming even 
more popular than the well-known H. paniculata grandi¬ 
flora, as it lacks the coarseness and stiffness of that variety^ 
it is refined in tone and effect, and with its abundant and 
handsome foliage it lends itself readily to landscape effects. 
It is a comely, handsome shrub at all times. It reaches a 
height of five to six feet, and when in full bloom is one of 
the most striking as well as the most beautiful shrubs of its 
season. It is at least as hardy as H. paniculata grandiflora. 
Many have been sent into Maine, Minnesota and other 
northern states, and into Canada as far north as Winnipeg. 
William Falconer, Superintendent of Schenley Park, 
Pittsburg, Pa., stated the following interesting facts about 
this new hydrangea in the Florist’s Exchange, August 14,1904. 
James Semple is a retired Pittsburg florist, and now 
living at Avalon, a suburb of Allegheny. He is the Semple 
of China Aster fame, a canny old Scotchman, and as wealthy 
as Croesus. But, retired as he is,, he cannot give up his 
love for flowers ahd puttering among plants. He and John 
A. Shafer, former secretary of our Botanical Society, were out 
in the woods one summer day a year or two ago, and there 
discovered, growing wild, a plant of our every-day native 
Hydrangea— H. arborescens —with large heads of sterile 
blossoms (in common talk we say “double flowers,”) as big 
and full and perfect as our ordinary Otaksa, and of a pure 
white color. His keen, practical eye at once saw its merit 
as a garden plant, and his business sagacity that there was 
money in it. 
So he secured every morsel of it, brought it home to his 
garden and planted it, and he is now propagating it. In a 
year he expects to have a thousand plants of it and- sell 
them at $5 a plant! I advised him to sell it in a lump to a 
novelty man for $1,000, but he treated my proposition with 
disdain. I forgot he didn’t need the money. You bet, 
were it mine, I’d take a thousand for it, but then, you see, 
that’s where I’m short in business, hence lean in purse, and 
he is long-headed in trade and full in pocket, 
But this hydrangea is a mighty fine thing. It comes into 
bloom the first week in June and lasts in good flower well 
through July, and is as hardy as a dandelion. It thrives in 
open sunshine or in partial shade. The wild, or typical 
form, is in bloom now, and in great abundance in our 
rocky woods. 
Mr. Semple had a bunch of it at our last Florists’ Club, 
meeting, and while we all handled it, every bit had to move 
back to its original owner,'and when the meeting was 
nearing the end every bunch and every bloom, as well, got 
wrapped up securely to return to Avalon. When Ernest 
Ludwig, wanted a head of bloom for a buttonhole, he got a 
refusal instead; and John Jones wanted a piece of a bunch 
of flowers without any wood, that he might compare it at 
home with Thomas Hogg and other sorts, but he couldn’t 
get even a floret. Then down fell my spirits to the zero 
point, for I intended asking for a whole plant! (for my 
experimental garden,) but I didn’t. Semple’s Hydrangea, 
however, is an excellent shrub and new to me. 
TUNICA SAXIFRAGA FL. ROSEA PL. 
This is one of the best market plants of recent intro¬ 
duction, one of these few good plants which are so rarely 
introduced. 
In general appearance the plants resemble a Saxifraga 
of the mossy section, flowering with perfect double pink 
Gypsophila like flowers. In May it starts flowering and 
keeps up a continuance of flowers till late in autumn. It 
can be used for the most varying purposes, for it is equally 
good as rockery plant, for borders, for pot plant as for 
covering graves, growing quite as good in the hottest sun 
as in the shade. It does not like too much moisture but 
it grows easily and is perfectly hardy. For further parti¬ 
culars address Me Hutchinson & Company, 17 Murray 
street, New York, 
“Experience keeps a dear school but fools will learn in no 
other.”— Franklin. 
