OUR COMMON GERANIUM 



CORA B. MORSE. 



" Geraniums ! Geraniums ! 



With brave and steadfast eyes, 



Ye face the darkest day that comes, 



The bluest, sunniest skies ; 



For shade and shine are one to thee, 



And come what may your blooms are free." 



EVERYONE calls the geranium a com- 

 mon flower, yet there are those 

 among us who can remember the furore the 

 bright red flowers created when they first 

 became known. It is a strange fact that 

 the geranium, which grows almost every- 

 where and under about every condition, 

 grows wild in but one corner of the earth, 

 this being on the Cape of Good Hope, where 

 it was found by the Dutch as far back as 

 1652, when over 600 species were dis- 

 covered. 



The ideal geranium is a thrifty strong 

 grower, having thick woody stalks, many 

 branches, making a broad circular plant, 

 with branches from nearly every joint. 

 Leaves should grow quickly and luxuriant- 

 ly; flowers should be well shaped and full, 

 broad and round. But, how frequently we 

 see the plants straggling for an existence of 

 some kind, often more dead than alive. 

 Some geraniums may be seen at a standstill 

 for months, one leaf dropping off as soon 

 as a new one appears. Others are " noth- 

 ing but leaves," while many remain splendid 

 in their gay colors the whole summer 

 through, but when winter comes have not a 

 solitary blossom to gladden tKe hearts of 

 those who care for them daily. 



If grown as pot plants, the geraniums 

 offer their greatest difficulties. One of the 

 most frequent mistakes made in growing 

 geraniums- for pot plants is over potting 

 them. Don't put a small healthy looking 

 plant, only large enough to have a 3 or 4- 

 inch pot, into a 6 or 8-inch one. If you do, 

 you may expect them to stand month after 

 month, scarcely growing an inch in that 

 time. The first step then is to provide 

 small pots. Geraniums from 4 to 6 inches 



high require a pot only about 35^ to 4 

 inches in diameter. Drainage is the next 

 essential, and a most important one. Drain- 

 age material is always easily obtained, a 

 layer of broken pieces of pots, small stones, 

 charcoal or even pebbles being all that is re- 

 quired. Through the chinks between these 

 bits all surplus moisture will ooze, passing 

 out of the small hole in the bottom of the 

 pot. When placing the plant in the pot, 

 leave about three-quarters of an inch at the 

 top which is not filled with the soil. 



A German authority gives as the best pot- 

 ting soil for geraniums one-third clean 

 sharp sand, free from clay, one-third thor- 

 oughly rotted cow manure and one-third 

 loam. Water plants well after potting, set 

 them away in a dark closet, and leave for 

 three or four days. Bring gradually to the 

 light, not giving full sunshine for another 

 week. Don't give your geraniums in pots 

 too much water — they do not like it, neither 

 do they require it. Water them when they 

 need it. When the earth about the top of 

 the plants is dry, give them a thorough soak- 

 ing. This is easily and satisfactorily done 

 by placing the pot in a basin or pail of 

 water, leaving it there till it has soaked up 

 all the water it needs. 



As for potted plants, the ground must be 

 well drained and in a good mellow conii- 

 tion. If it is a dry season, or a hot sum- 

 mer country, a mulch about the plants is 

 found very desirable. The old fashioned 

 scarlet, whites and good pinks are always 

 in demand for bedding. Better still a bed 

 with one color alone, or with colors harmon- 

 izing well, than a variety of colors of any 

 and every hue. 



In dusty times, spray the plants and water 

 the leaves at night. The plants do far bet- 

 ter cleaned of the dust they catch during 

 the day. Keep the ground soft and do not 

 let it become dry, baked and hard around the 

 plants. 



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