SEASONABLE NOTES FOR JULY. 



285 



Fig. 2354. Begonia, Weltoniensis Alba. 



tained. Many varieties of summer flower- 

 ing begonias can be had however that will 

 give splendid results in windows or on 

 verandahs where the sun shines for perhaps 

 only an hour or two, morning and evening. 

 Amongst the most effective and easily grown 

 kinds is the pink flowering Weltoniensis 

 begonia, also the white flowering variety 

 Weltoniensis alba (Fig. 2354), the former 

 being the most robust and easiest to grow 

 of the two kinds. Being of a semi-tuberous 

 nature both of them can be kept partially 

 dormant during the winter, but must not be 

 dried off" completely in the same way that 

 the tuberous varieties are. 



Another good variety for summer flower- 

 ing is the dwarf growing, white flowering 

 begonia Bruant (Fig. 2355). This pretty 

 little begonia can be easily kept during the 

 winter, its bright glossy green foliage being 

 most acceptable even when not brightened 

 up with its ivory >\hite blossoms. It must 

 not be given as much water however during 

 the winter as when it is in active growth in 



summer time, The Begonias mentioned as 

 bedding varieties in last month's journal are 

 also good varieties for culture in windows, 

 either as pot plants or in window boxes. 

 These Begonias will be found to be quite an 

 acquisition to the comparatively limited list 

 of flowering plants suited for window boxes 

 in shaded positions. 



Geraniums for Winter. — This is a good 

 time to commence preparing a stock of these 

 ever popular and useful plants for winter 

 flowering in the window. 



It is quite possible that many readers of 

 this journal have a favorite geranium plant 

 that has become gaunt and unshapely in 

 growth, similar to the one shown in the 

 accompanying cut (Fig. 2356). Instead of 

 planting it out in the border, as is often done 

 to try and make a shapely plant of it before 

 autumn, it would be far better to treat it as 

 shown in Fig. 2357 by giving it a severe 

 cutting back. If the growth of the plant is 

 very soft and sappy the cutting back pro- 

 cess should be deferred until the plant has 

 been stood outside in the pot in a sunny 

 position for the wood to harden a little. It 

 can then be pruned back as shown in the 

 cut, by pruning the growth back to within 



Fig. 2355. Begonia, Bruant. 



