THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 275 



SELECT BEDDING GERANIUMS EOE SMALL GARDENS. 



BX JOHK "WALSH. 



"WING to tlie dull and excessively wet weather whicli has 

 of late prevailed, the bloom of the bedding geraniums 

 is this season less satisfactory than usual, and the plants 

 are making an extravagantly vigorous growth. They 

 are, indeed, growing so strong, and producing sucli stout 

 and soft shoots, that I anticipate some little difficulty in obtaining a 

 sufficient supply of suitable cuttings. Fine weather during August 

 may be more favourable to the production of a fine growtli than has 

 been the case up to the present time, but it will have to be very hot 

 and very dry to check the plants much, as the ground is now so tho- 

 roughly saturated with moisture, and we shall soon have the heavy 

 night dews, which are so conducive to the production of sappy wood. 

 In anticipation of the difficulty that is likely to be experienced in 

 the propagation of the usual stock of geraniums, I have considered 

 it desirable to direct the attention of the readers of the Floral 

 World to the importance of commencing the work earlier than 

 usual, and also to the necessity of bestowing more than the custom- 

 ary care on the selection of the cuttings, and to the desirability of 

 departing somewhat from the usual practice. 



Although the geraniums have not blossomed so abundantly, or 

 presented so brilliant an appearance as usual, they have been much 

 tjrighter and more effective than the majority of the bedding plants 

 grown for their flowers. Whilst the verbenas have had the colour 

 well-nigh washed out of them, the calceolarias have had their flowers 

 knocked off, and the petunias weighed down to the ground with the 

 wet, the geraniums have stood up bravely against the weather, and 

 as fast as the rains have knocked off one set of flowers, another set 

 has taken its place. This season the bright scarlets, the deep pinks, 

 and the pure whites have appeared to the best advantage ; for even 

 whilst the flowers were saturated with wet, and everything out of 

 doors as dreary as it well could be, these colours presented a bright 

 and cheerful appearance. But we hope to have weather of a more 

 favourable nature during the next sis weeks at least ; and should 

 this be the case, varieties with flowers of an intermediate shade will 

 again assert their claims to our attention, as iu past seasons. 



There are no very striking novelties to be reported on this year. 

 A few of the more popular varieties will be replaced by others of the 

 same line of colour and character ; but by far the largest proportion 

 of the varieties that have been in commerce some time will have to 

 be retained. Vesuvius still remains one of the best of the bright 

 scarlet varieties, and this year its compact habit, short, stiff flower- 

 stalks, and neat trusses, have appeared to wonderful advantage in 

 comparison with the more robust nosegays, with their gigantic 

 flower-heads. Flamingo is somewhat similar in habit to the preced- 

 ing, but has rather larger flowers, which are of a deep crimson 

 scarlet colour. Miss Maud Holden, a new variety, bids fair to be 



September. 



