Splendid for Spring and Early Summer Flowering – Beautiful Deciduous Shrub
(Deut’zia). A group of leaf-losing shrubs that are beautiful in bloom but are otherwise undistinguished. The flowers are produced from the side buds of the previous year’s growth. Many kinds are known, chiefly natives of China, Japan and the Himalayas. The majority are not perfectly hardy in the North against winter cold and should be given sheltered positions even in the climate of New York City and its environs. The Deutzias are closely related to the Mock Orange, or Philadelphus; they belong to the Saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae. The name Deutzia was given in honor of John van der Deutz, a patron of botany and at one time Sheriff of Amsterdam.
Propagation and Cultivation
All the Deutzias can be increased without trouble by means of cuttings, 3-4 in. long, of soft shoots, in May or early June, or of firmer wood in July; the cuttings are dibbled in a bed of sand or sandy peat and are placed in a propagating case in frame or greenhouse. Young plants should be set in good soil in a nursery border, the ends being pinched out of the shoots to induce a bushy habit of growth. When two years old, they should be large enough for planting in permanent places. The best results can only be expected by providing good loamy soil that is not excessively dry.
To obtain plants that will flower freely, they must be encouraged to form well-ripened wood each year. Assistance is given by removing some of the old wood as soon as the flowers are over; the old shoots should be cut back to those points from which vigorous young shoots are developing. Help may also be given by dressing the soil above the roots with well-rotted farmyard manure or an occasional application of a complete fertilizer.
A sunny position is desirable so that the shoots will be thoroughly ripened or matured. Deutzias may be planted in soil containing lime and in somewhat acid soils. The smaller-growing kinds are excellent for beds, and the larger ones are useful for groups or isolated specimens.
For the Greenhouse
As forcing plants for greenhouse decoration in spring some of the dwarf kinds are excellent, particularly the white-flowered D. gracilis. It is wise to grow plants, especially for this purpose and to begin forcing them when they are two years old. They should be planted out of doors as soon as they show deterioration.
White and Colored Flowers
In addition to the many wild kinds introduced from China and elsewhere, a number of very beautiful sorts have been raised by hybridizing and some of these varieties are popular in gardens. Most have been raised by intercrossing kinds with white flowers with others bearing purplish flowers. The following are very beautiful:
- Deutzias candelabrum, 3-4 ft., flowers white;
- Deutzias rosea, 3-4 ft., pinkish;
- Deutzias rosea campanulata, 3-4 ft., white;
- Deutzias rosea venusta, 4 ft., white;
- Deutzias rosea carminea, 3-4 ft., purplish;
- Deutzias rosea floribunda, 4 ft., pink;
- Deutzias rosea grandiflora, 4 ft., purplish;
- Deutzias Lemoinei, 4 ft., white.
Good Flowering Shrubs
Among the species from China, Japan and the Himalayas, of which there are at least thirty, the following are good shrubs, although not all may be in cultivation:
- Deutzias compacta, 3 ft., white;
- Deutzias discolor, 5-6 ft., white or pink, of this there are several forms;
Deutzias gracilis, 3-4 ft., white, one of the oldest and best-known kinds;
Deutzias corymbosa, 9 ft., white;
Deutzias longifolia, 5-6 ft., rosy purple, and var. Veitchii, rose;
Deutzias hypoglauca, 3-4 1/2 ft., white;
Deutzias mollis, 5-6 ft., white;
Deutzias parviflora, 5-6 ft., white;
Deutzias purpurascens, 5-6 ft., purple;
Deutzias hypoleuca, 5-6 ft., white;
Deutzias reflexa, 3-4 ft., white;
Deutzias scabra (crenata), 8-10 ft., white, tinged purple, the variety flore pleno has double flowers;
Deutzias setchuenensis, 5-6 ft., white, is a very beautiful shrub, but one of the most tender;
Deutzias Sieboldiana, 4-5 ft., has white flowers. The flowering time for these shrubs is from late May to early July.
