196 Commercial Gardening 



gonium zonale and P. inquinans, both natives of South Africa. The 

 first-named has roundish smooth or softly downy leaves, with a distinct 

 dark zone or band, which gave rise to the popular nam-e of Zonal. The 

 flowers vary from red, scarlet, and crimson to pure white. P. inquinans 

 has more kidney-shaped leaves not so deeply cut or crenated on the 

 margins as P. zonale, and the flowers vary from intense scarlet to rose 

 and white. During the past two hundred years and more gardeners have 

 been improving the progeny of these two species until one would scarcely 

 imagine that the large circular broad-petalled varieties had anything to 

 do with the species that had narrow-petalled irregular flowers such as are 

 produced by the " Oak-leaf " section. 



Zonal Pelargoniums of all sections are easily propagated from cuttings 

 taken almost at any time of the year so long as they are not too young 

 and sappy. Spring and autumn, however, are the two chief periods for 

 taking cuttings. These vary from 1-3 in. in length, and are cut beneath 

 a joint, and trimmed of unnecessary leaves and stipules. They are then 

 inserted round the edges of 5-in. or 6-in. pots in gritty soil, or three 

 cuttings may be put in a 3-in. pot filled with the compost, the cuttings in 

 all cases being dibbled in. Some growers use a little silver sand on the 

 top of the soil, but the vast majority do not trouble about this detail. 

 Besides pots, shallow wooden boxes or trays known as cutting boxes, and 

 measuring 15 in. long by 9 in. wide and 2 in. deep, and costing from 8s. to 

 10s. per 100 or per gross, are extensively used. Each box is filled up with 

 gritty soil, pressed down firmly with the fingers, and will hold two dozen 

 cuttings comfortably. These boxes are very useful for placing on shelves 

 over the pipes in many small greenhouses where space is a consideration, 

 and where pots would take up much more room. From January to March 

 and April hundreds of thousands of Zonal Pelargoniums are propagated 

 in this way, and in a temperature of 65 to 70 F. they root readily. When 

 well established they are moved into 3-in. pots and perhaps later on into 

 5-in. pots, according to circumstances. Cuttings are also struck readily 

 in hotbeds in spring, the young plants being potted on as quickly as 

 possible. During August cuttings root quickly in the open air in any good 

 garden soil, and the old plants are frequently planted out in May or June 

 to produce a supply for this purpose. Autumn-struck cuttings produce 

 bigger plants in the spring, and are usually sold in 5-in. pots. Cuttings 

 are often taken from them up to February and March. This makes the 

 older plants which during the winter are stood pot to pot more dwarf 

 and bushy, with the natural result that more space must be given them 

 about the end of March or early April. Unless grown specially for cut 

 flower, no flower trusses are allowed to develop until about six weeks 

 before the sales usually begin. They are pinched out, thus throwing all 

 the vigour of the plants into growth. To hasten the development of fine 

 specimens in a short time, a little weak liquid manure is given from time 

 to time, and perhaps a little special manure is worked in about the middle 

 of March or early April. If a little basic slag is mixed with the soil at 



