Stove and Greenhouse Plants and Flowers 199 



a distinct colour. Thirty or forty years ago these were very popular 

 plants, but they have gradually given way to the more vigorous Zonals. 

 The " Fancy " Pelargoniums differ chiefly in having the margins of the 

 petals crisped or wavy, and are marked in various ways. The leaves are 

 less hairy, moderately lobed, and with sharper teeth than the Zonal section. 

 Both sections are less easy to grow than other garden Pelargoniums, and 

 are much more liable to damp off or rot during the winter; they are also 

 very subject to attacks of aphides, and must be kept clean in the way 

 recommended for the Ivy-leaved section. The plants are propagated from 

 well-ripened cuttings of non-flowering shoots during July and August in 

 a gritty loam in the same way as the Zonal varieties. The young plants, 

 however, must be kept in a warm atmosphere during the winter and in 

 the maximum amount of light. A little, but not too much, moisture is 

 necessary, otherwise they are apt 

 to rot off. In spring the plants 

 are transferred to 5-in. or 6-in. 

 pots, and when started well into 

 growth the tops are pinched out 

 to induce a bushy habit. Weak 

 liquid manure or soot water ap- 

 plied occasionally is very bene- 

 ficial, and keeps the foliage of a 

 deep healthy green colour. Years 

 ago large numbers of these Show 

 and Fancy Pelargoniums were 

 brought to Co vent Garden from 

 the neighbourhood of Tottenham 

 and Edmonton, Mr. Beckwith of 

 the former place being the largest 

 grower in the kingdom at the 

 time (fig. 294). 



OAK-LEAF AND SCENTED PEL- 

 ARGONIUMS. There are many 

 species of Pelargoniums having 

 deliciously scented foliage. Some, 

 however, are rare and never 

 likely to be grown in large quan- 

 tities, while others are somewhat 

 fastidious. The only species that 

 is still grown, but not nearly so 

 much as formerly, is P. querci- 



folium the sweet-scented Oak-leaf Geranium. It is as easily grown as 

 any Zonal, and has deeply lobed and divided leaves, sweetly scented, the 

 flowers being small, purple or rose, with narrow petals. Besides the plants 

 a limited trade is done in the foliage, the leaves being made up in bunches 

 and sold for backing coat flowers, &c. The plants may be grown for years 



Fig. 294. Show Pelargoniums 



