The Purple-leaved Filbert is propagated by layering. We have found that in dry and hot seasons the layers do not root freely, and that it is often necessary to allow the layers to remain for two years before separating them from the parent plant.
The Flowering Hawthorns are best and easiest propagated by budding them upon the common White Hawthorn. The buds take readily, unite firmly, and grow rapidly. We have not tried the experiment of budding or grafting these upon our common Wild Thorn; if any of our readers have made trial of this method of propagating them, it would be very interesting to know the result.
Deutzia Gracilis, a small, slender, graceful shrub, producing pure white, bell-shaped flowers in great profusion, is best propagated also by placing a plant in the greenhouse, and setting green wood cuttings in bottom heat, under a bell-glass; though it is quite possible to succeed when the bell-glass is not used.
Deutzia Crenata flore pleno, comes into bloom towards the end of June. It is the most showy of all the Deutzias, bearing its hanging bell-shaped, scalloped blossoms on the shoots of the current season’s growth, throughout the entire length of the shoot. The flowers are very double, pure white, splashed with bright rosy pink on the outside, and literally cover the branches so as nearly to conceal the foliage. This we have cultivated only from green wood cuttings taken from the parent plant in summer and set in a gentle bottom heat. We believe however that it might be grown from hard wood cuttings taken off in the fall and kept in moist sand until March, and then set in the propagating bed of a greenhouse with a gentle bottom heat, and also that it might be possible to grow it from layers in the open ground.
The Syringa, or Mock Orange, is very readily grown from layers; from suckers that spring up around the parent plant; and by dividing the parent plant itself when it has attained to sufficient size.
Weigela Rosea, a free flowering shrub, with showy, tubular flowers, of a light rose color, blooming in June, is very easily propagated from cuttings, in a gentle bottom heat, or even under a sash without bottom heat, in sand; also by layering.
Perhaps these instances will be sufficient to give our readers an idea of the various methods of propagating shrubs. As a rule most of them can be made to grow from layers, keeping them layered two years if necessary; when this method fails, resort must be had to green wood cuttings and bottom heat.
