GROWING HYDRANGEA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 24 January 1939, Page 10

GROWING HYDRANGEA

AN OUTLINE OF CULTURE January is the best month for iusert- - ing cuttings of hydrangea lioitensis. r They will root and make nice little plants > before winter, and many of them will » carry one good flower next spring. Non- . flowering shoots should be taken from . the base of the plant, from the sides of i the stems, or from the top, if any top i growth which has not flowered can be - found. They must bo moderately firm, • not too hard nor too soft, as, if the form. 1 er, they will be long in emitting routs, while soft cuttings may succumb to damp. } The cuttings should bo about three inches | iu length, and are prepared by trimming , straight across just below a node or , joint. Place them singly in small pots; those two inches in diameter are very i suitable. A very sandy mixture of peat and loam, passed through a fairly fine sieve, will serve very well for the rooting medium. One good watering should suffice for some time, and, if placed in a propagating case on the stage of a cool house, ’ shaded, ami sprayed over on warm days, , the cuttings will soon root. They can also be very successfully rooted in a close 1 and shaded cold frame. REPOTTING YOUNG PLANTS When rooted, gradually give more ventilation, a id, when the little pots arc well filled with roots, and before the plants are pot-bound, move them on into pots of three inches or four inches in diameter. Clean and ample drainage is very important, because, when growing freely, hydrangeas require copious supplies of water. The use of peat is essential to the best results, and a good mixture to use at every potting is half good fibrous loam to half peat, with a liberal quantity of silver sand, and a little charcoal. Mauure need not be used in the compost. It is bettor to feed the plants liberally as they require it. Well-estab-lished specimens will thrive on frequent doses of diluted manure or a good plant food. The young plants will winter safely in three-inch or four-inch pots, in a cool greenhouse on the stage as near the glass as possible. They will be quite safe in a cold frame, unless the weather should be very severe. They are almost hardy, yet all pot plants are susceptible to severe weather, and, on the whole, a cool house, with just enough warmth to exclude frost, is best for hydrangeas. During winter sufficient water only to maintain the stem and buds in plump condition is necessary. ONE PLANT, ONE HEAD OF BLOOM It is not advisable to stop the young plants. Let them carry one flower, and they will break naturally after the removal of the flower truss, or, if inclined to legginess, the stem may be pruned back moderately hard. in early spring the plants can be moved on into pots of five and six inches diameter, in accordance with individual requirements. The subsequent- treatment consists of potting on as the plants require more room. Firm potting is most essential, and plenty of space must always he left for watering. During summer, after flowering, hydrangeas are best stood in the open air in full sun, and on a worm-resistant base. Here they must receive copious supplies of water, and bo sprayed overhead on the afternoons of warm days, as their leaf area is large and transpiration of sap considerable. it is possible to grow very large specimens, and plants in tubs or large pots are extremely effective. Even so, it is wise to maintain a stock of young plants by inserting an annual batch of cuttings. Specimens in six, seven, and eight-inch pots, each carrying three, four, or live up to eight or nine good flower heads, arc serviceable in all kinds of decorativo arrangements. HINTS ON GENERAL TREATMENT Well-rooted plants should be fed freely when growing strongly in spring and summer. Bi-weekly doses of diluted liquid mauure, or a teaspoonful to each plant once a week of a good fertiliser will greatly improve the growth and the quality and size of tho blooms. Feeding must cease when tho flowers commence to open. Plenty of air is necessary at all times, but draughts are to be avoided. When ia flower, light shading will preserve the colour and enhance the lasting properties of the blooms. The white, pink, and red-flowered varieties, and their variations in many lovely intermediate tones, are very beautiful, but the pale and deep blues undoubtedly rank first in popular estimation. The blue shade is not natural to the hydrangea and must be artificially developed. Several proprietary colourants are available, and these should be used according to manufacturer’s instructions. The novice, however, will be well advised to purchase plants already prepared, and nice little specimens may be procured at very reasonable prices ft should be noted that only the pink varieties will respond to blueing treatment. The whites are unsuit, able AS SHRUBS IN THE GARDEN in sheltered gardens, hydrangeas do veiy well in the open, and here, too, tliev can be sufficiently "blued” if the specified quantity of compound is applied to tlia soil around the plants, and thorough ly watered in. The treatment should be re peated every fortnight from August un til the plants are in bloom.

Ihe best time to repot hydrangeas is setou after flowering, or early in the year, when growth is on the move. They ara very fond of soot water, and it should bo used at fairly frequent intervals, clear and diluted, throughout the growing season. If a small bag of old soot is immersed iu a tub of water, it will provide liquid for many weeks, blieep droppings, used in the same manner will prove a valuable food.

There are niany varieties of these lovely and valuable plants .A specialist’s list will give ull iho information required, and few good whites should be included in a collection, as they provide a beautiful foij for the richer colours.—R. E. A., in Amateur Gardening.