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Planting Hydrangea

This highly ornamental shrub of the Saxi-frage family produces showy pink, blue or white flowers. More than 20 species of hydran-gea grow as natives in the central and south-ern areas of the United States but cannot thrivein colder temperature zones. The shrub usuallygrows between four and ten feet high, withheart-shaped leaves and flowers that appear inJune and July.

Hydrangea is sometimes called "seven-bark," a name which refers to the shrub's stembark, which peels off in seven thin layers of dif-ferent colors. These shrubs were used by theCherokee Indians who believed in their me-dicinal value. Hydrangea has also been used asa diuretic, cathartic and treatment for gall-stones.

A dense shrub or tree, growing to five feet inheight, the arborescens hydrangea produces highlyornamental fragrant flowers from midsummerthrough early fall.

Good plants for the shrub bordrangeas grow best in rich, well-drai:They bloom most abundantly if placesun and given sufficient moisture. P:generally done in fall or early sp:branches of the previous year's grownback to a single pair of buds. Weaker rrare always cut off, and the less hard.should be given protection during wizdrangeas can be propagated by cu:fairly ripe wood, by layering or by digs

Common hydrangea (H. panic-ahardy throughout the United Statesrarely troubled by insects and diseasesdense shrub or tree growing from six

high, and has off-white flowers thatAugust and September. Hortensia (Hphylla), much grown in the Southplant and in greenhouses, has been z.mticessfully outdoors in northern garusually grows to ten feet. Give it wmrT-tection by mounding the soil aboutin the same way as roses. A slightly azrecommended.

Since flower heads are quite hamti.„often necessary to support the plazashould be done in early spring beamswell.

Wild hydrangea (H. arboresceru =1;three to five feet; the variety Grillo;is called hills-of-snow. Climbing Zi(H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) is a wosometimes going up as high as 50 feet_heaven (H. macrophylla subsp. serrasito five feet and is also relatively tender.

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