80 VILLA GARDENING part i 



be about 6 inches long, are dibbled in in rows and pegged down 

 immediately, close to the surfiice of the ground. 



CHAPTER XIV 



Propagation of Bedding Plants. — The usual way of secur- 

 ing a stock of tender exotics for the flower garden, such as Pelar- 

 goniums, Verbenas, etc., is to put in the bidk of the cuttings in 

 August. All the Pelargonium family strike best in the open air 

 fully exposed to the sun, but the thinner they are placed the stouter 

 and hardier the little plants are, and the less mortality there is 

 among them in the ensuing winter. I have rooted the cuttings in 

 small single pots, in store pots — ten or so in a pot, also in boxes, 

 and have dibbled them in the open border, and they may be suc- 

 cessfully managed in all or any of these several ways ; but individual 

 circumstances must guide and control us in this matter. I will 

 only observe, further, that the more the plants are exposed to the 

 sunshine and air, the better they will go through the dark days 

 of winter. Sandy loam should form the great bulk of the soil for 

 striking the cuttings in, and they may remain in the open air as 

 long as they can do so with safety. Some people place the cuttings 

 of the delicate variegated Pelargoniums in frames under the shelter 

 of glass ; but years ago, when I grew these things largely, I tried 

 every plan tliat suggested itself to me for increasing them rapidly, 

 and no plan succeeded so well as dibbling them thinly in a warm, 

 south border, in the full sunshine, in August, never to shade, and 

 to give but little water, potting them into 2|^-inch pots as soon as 

 they were rooted, and wintering them on shelves close to the glass 

 in a dry, rather cool house. The same treatment will suit all the 

 Geranium family, and by no other plan can such nice sturdy plants 

 be obtained; but then we are all the victims of circumstances, 

 more or less, and we must cut our garment according to oiu- cloth. 

 Verbenas and all other soft plants (Pelargoniums excepted) will 

 succeed best in a close frame without artificial heat, as in August, 

 by keeping the frame close and utilising tlie sun's warmth, a genial 

 temperature will be obtained. The only thing to guard against is 

 damp arising from a stagnant atmosphere, and the best way 

 to obviate this is to ventilate freely early in the morning, say 

 from six to nine or ten o'clock, and then, as the sun's power is 

 making visible effect, close the frame and put on a light shade. 

 The watering, when it is necessary, should be done in the morning. 

 In this way, pretty well, every sound healthy cutting will root. 

 In autumn propagation it is customary to use rather larger cuttings 



