PELARGONIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. pelar(;oniu.m. 



soon veoetate, and the piece of glass 

 should then be removed ; the plants when 

 large enough should be pricked off into 

 seed-pans and kept near the glass in a 

 reduced temperature during the winter. 

 Early in the following March they should 

 be potted singly into 3-in. pots and placed 

 in a cold pit, or a similar structure where 

 frost is excluded, until the time arrives 

 when they may be safely planted out. 

 During the first part of the season such 

 plants may bloom less freely than those 

 from cuttings, but their neat habit and 

 healthy foliage will compensate for this. 



Many sorts remarkable for their fine 

 flowers are so poor in habit as to 

 be useless for bedding-out ; and few 

 of the many beautiful double varieties of 

 Zonals can be recommended for outdoor 

 culture, unless as standards, with clean 

 stems, i\ or 3 ft. in length. In this form 

 they are sometimes effective, for the 

 drawing of sustenance through a slender 

 stem induces a very free -flowering 

 habit. Strong stakes are needed to sup- 

 port the heavy heads, and the principal 

 branches should be secured to circular 

 hoops. Single varieties may also be 

 grown into standards, and in their case 

 seedlings are likely to form specimens 

 sooner than plants from cuttings. Before 

 frost, all standards should be well cut 

 back, taken up, and repotted in pots not 

 larger than may contain the roots ; they 

 should be staked and afterwards placed 

 in a temperature not under 60^ until they 

 root. Treated thus annually, such plants 

 are often in perfect health even when 

 twelve or fourteen years old. 



Next in importance to the Zonals for 

 outdoor culture are the Ivy-leaved kinds 

 or the varieties of P. lateripes. More 

 particularly is this the case since their 

 crossing with the Zonal varieties, which 

 has produced many beautiful sorts useful 

 for outdoor culture. They should be 

 treated like the Zonals, but being rather 

 more tender they need a little more 

 warmth in winter. 



Among other Pelargoniums few are 

 suitable for outdoor culture, or for bed- 

 ding, their growth in the open air, in even 

 light or poor soil, being too luxuriant. 

 Each section will now be considered 

 separately, and the varieties that succeed 

 when planted out will be mentioned. 

 There are, howevei-, so many varieties of 

 Zonals, and the older varieties are so 

 often replaced by others, not always im- 

 provements, that it will only be necessary 

 to give a short list of sorts known to 

 be really good. It must, however, be 

 borne in mind that some sorts succeed 



in certain soils and situations which are 

 not good in others. 



The following are a few of the many 

 Zonal varieties suited for outdoor culture 

 or for massing in the flower garden or 

 elsewhere : Beauty, Beckwith's Pink, 

 Dr. Orton, E. F. Crocker, Eleanor, 

 George Potter, Henry Jacoby Improved, 

 James Kelway, John Gibbons, King 

 Edward VII., King of Bedders, Lady 

 Bailey, Mons. Myriel, Mrs. W. Browne, 

 Mrs. Holford, Mrs. R. Cannell, Olive 

 Carr, Omphale, Paul Crampel, Phyllis, 

 Queen of Whites, Sam Jacoby, Snow- 

 drop, Surprise, Swanley White, Vesuvius, 

 and West Brighton Gem. These 

 are all with single flowers, but a few 

 of the double kinds are also use- 

 ful, such as Double Jacoby, Hermione, 

 F. V. Raspail, Gustav Emich, Jean 

 Viaud, King of Denmark, and Ville de 

 Poitiers. Several of these are also excel- 

 lent for blooming under glass during the 

 winter, among the best in this way being 

 Countess of Dudley, F. V. Raspail Im- 

 proved, Hall Caine, Hermione, King of 

 Denmark, King Edwai'd VII., Lady Ros- 

 coe, Mary Beaton, Mrs. Chas. Pearson, 

 Mrs. Lawrence, Prince of Orange, Sirdar, 

 and \^ille de Poitiers. 



The bronze Zonal varieties are as well 

 suited for bedding-out as the green-leaved 

 kinds, being in all respects as vigorous. 

 Their flowers vary in colour. The bright 

 golden ground colour and rich leaf zones 

 of some of them, however, show to greater 

 advantage when the blooms are removed. 

 The following are a few of those that may 

 be considered the best bedders : Black 

 Vesuvius, Distinction, Golden Harry 

 Hieover, Her Majesty, Jubilee, L'Enfer, 

 Marechal Macmahon, Swanley Bronze, 

 White Distinction, and Zulu. 



There are also some useful bedding 

 varieties with yellow zoneless leaves, such 

 as Creed's Seedling, Crystal Palace Gem, 

 Golden Christine, Robert Fish, and Ve- 

 rona. Happy Thought is a singular 

 \-ariety, each leaf having a large disc of 

 a creamy-white colour, while the margins 

 are green, but it is inclined to grow rather 

 too robust in rich soils. Freak of Nature, 

 which is rather similar, is better in this 

 way, being dwarf and more spreading. 



Though the variegated Zonals, or 

 golden Tricolors, do not succeed equally 

 well as bedding plants in all kinds of 

 soil, the following varieties will, with 

 ordinary care, give satisfaction : Brilliant, 

 Enchantress, Golden Brilliantissimum, 

 Lady CuUum, Macbeth, Masterpiece, 

 Mr. Harry Cox, Mrs. Pollock, Mrs. 

 Turner, Peter Grieve, Prince of Wales, 



