Page:The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory.djvu/127

Rh several years in the same pots, and if desirable large plants may be divided by cutting through the roots. In such a case it is best to cut them into suitable sizes in September and pot them in very small pots, and winter them in a cool house or pit as dry as possible. In May plant them out in poor soil, and in September following they will be nice plants to pot up for the benefit of the greenhouse.

.&mdash;This deliciously odorous flower may be grown by the merest tyro, but it is well to remember that it is the most susceptible to frost of any plant of its class. A geranium or verbena may be frozen several times in the winter, say to the extent of five or six degrees of frost, but such a freezing would kill every heliotrope to the roots. If grown as a pot plant, treat it precisely the same as recommended for the verbena and petunia. It is particularly worthy of observation that it makes a fine wall or trellis plant in a warm conservatory, and, if planted out in a border of light rich soil, will produce flowers all the year round. Even in a cool conservatory it may be planted out to clothe a pillar or trellis, but, of course, it will not flower in winter.

.&mdash;For the conservatory and to keep company with the agapanthus in the entrance court, and to fill up amongst groups of pot plants near a summer-house or fountain, the hydrangea is one of the best plants in our gardens. There are several distinct species in cultivation, but the best is our old friend H. hortensis, which produces pink flowers when grown in rich loam, and blue flowers when grown in either peat or loam in which there is a decided trace of the salts of iron. We have employed hydrangeas largely for our plunging system, and have been compelled of course to hit the shortest and surest way of ensuring large heads of flowers with the least possible trouble. In May a number of cuttings are taken from the lower parts of the stems of strong plants. We prefer young shoots with four or five joints, not more than five, and perhaps preferable with only three. The strongest wood may be used, and will be sure to root, but small young cuttings make the best plants. The cuttings have the two lowest leaves removed, and are potted singly in thumb pots in a mixture of leaf-mould and peat, with a very little sand. These are all placed on a moist bottom-heat of not more than 60°, either