60 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Pelargonium continued. 



Show varieties, and are not quite so easily grown. 

 Instead of propagating from ripened wood in autumn, 

 early spring is found the best time, and new shoots are 

 taken for the purpose of forming cuttings when they 

 become tolerably firm. The general treatment regarding 

 soil, potting, ripening in summer, &c., given above 

 for the Show section, will also suit this, with the follow- 

 ing exceptions: Watering must be even more carefully 

 attended to in winter; a little higher temperature is 

 also desirable, and over-potting must specially be avoided. 

 It is better to err in keeping the roots somewhat dry 

 rather than too wet. Plenty of room must be allowed 

 each plant, or it will' soon become drawn ; light and 

 air, whenever the latter can be admitted, are also 

 essentials to success. Fancy Pelargoniums are much 

 less vigorous than the Show varieties, and do not re- 

 quire so much tying out ; yet sufficient should be done 

 to them in this respect to prevent the numerous shoots 

 overcrowding each other in the centre. The plants may 

 be similarly grown on for several years in succession; 

 but it is advisable to propagate new ones, to 

 gradually replace the old ones. 



Zonal or Bedding Pelargoniums. Amongst popular 

 garden plants, few are more widely cultivated than the 

 varieties of Zonal Pelargoniums. They are supposed to 

 have originally descended from P. inquinans and P. 

 tonale, which were introduced early in the eighteenth 

 century. Varieties of the present day show a remarkable 

 contrast in comparison with them, and the vast improve- 

 ment in the flower and habit of the plant which has 

 been made, more particularly of late years. Zonal 

 Pelargoniums may bo had in flower the whole year 

 round, by affording some little attention to the propaga- 

 tion and preparation of plants. Many of the varieties 

 raised somewhat recently are exceedingly showy decora- 

 tive subjects when grown in pots under glass, and they 

 are more especially useful throughout the winter for 

 the purpose of cutting. With this latter object in view, 

 cuttings should be inserted in the previous autumn, or 

 early in spring, and the plants obtained should be grown 

 on throughout the summer, and not allowed to flower until, 

 say, about September, when the season for those outside 

 will begin to decline. A light, airy house or pit, with a 

 warm, fairly dry atmosphere, will be the best situation 

 from the time the plants are rooted until about mid- 

 summer, when they should be placed on a bed of coal 

 ashes in the open air, or in a shallow pit with the 

 sashes removed. This plan is adopted in order that the 

 growths may be short-jointed and become well ripened 

 by autumn. During winter, a light span-roofed house 

 is best adapted for Zonal Pelargoniums in flower ; it 

 should be kept at from about SOdeg. to 55deg. by day, and 

 the atmosphere always on the dry side. An excellent and 

 a most successful system of heating houses for the 

 winter treatment of Zonal Pelargoniums in flower, is that 

 of conducting the hot water through a small pipe fixed 

 along the rafters, just above the flower trusses. This 

 plan is not always practicable, or, perhaps, worth the 

 trouble of adopting where only a comparatively few 

 plants are grown; but the success attending it is sug- 

 gestive as to what are the most suitable provisions to 

 be aimed at under ordinary circumstances. Damp is the 

 greatest enemy to be contended with in winter. In 

 summer, either young or old plants may readily be had 

 in flower at almost any time by leaving their trusses to 

 expand. Young plants should be stopped once or twice, 

 to encourage a compact habit, care being taken always 

 to pinch to a joint at which is situated a growing bud. 

 A system frequently indeed, generally practised is that 

 of stopping indiscriminately at whatever joint seems best 

 situated; this should not be adhered to with the Pelar- 

 gonium unless where there is a growth or wood-bud 

 present, and not a flower-truss. Cuttings that are 



Pelargonium continued. 



not too sappy will root with the greatest ease in a 

 warm house or pit during spring, and at almost any 

 season, if young plants are required. The plants succeed 

 best in a rich, loamy soil, with some manure ; and they 

 flower most profusely if allowed to become somewhat 

 pot-bound, and fed with liquid manure. 



Unfortunately, none of the single Pelargoniums are 

 lasting in a cut state, as their petals drop readily. To 

 prevent this with plants for exhibition, and with flower- 

 trusses for market, it is customary to drop the smallest 

 quantity of liquid gum into the centre of each flower, 

 to render it more durable. Varieties with double or 

 semi-double flowers have now become numerous, and are 

 exceedingly useful in a cut state, as, unlike the single 

 ones, they hold on persistently until becoming withered. 

 The plants succeed under treatment similar to those 

 which have single flowers, and are very compact and 

 floriferons, especially the semi-double varieties, that are 

 of a comparatively recent date, and mostly of Continental 

 origin. It must be admitted they are not so showy as 

 varieties with single flowers, but, notwithstanding this, 

 they form a very attractive and useful addition. 



Zonal Pelargoniums, used only for bedding, in summer, 

 may be propagated in any quantity towards the end 

 of August, by cuttings obtained from plants outside. 

 These may be inserted rather close together, in either 

 pots or boxes, as may be convenient, and placed on a 

 bed of ashes, in the full sun. Here they may remain 

 until housed up for the winter, about the end of Septem- 

 ber, in any structure kept a little warm and rather 

 dry. Any dead leaves should be frequently looked for 

 and removed, and but little water should be given. Pot 

 off singly about February, and grow on, in preparation 

 for transplanting outside, in May, or early in June. 



Variegated-leaved Pelargoniums. A few varieties of 

 these are invaluable as bedding plants, on account of 

 their coloured foliage and distinct appearance in com- 

 parison with the ordinary Zonals. They are severally 

 distinguished as Golden Tricolor, Silver Tricolor, Gold 

 and Bronze or Bicolor, Silver-variegated, Golden-leaved, 

 and Variegated Ivy-leaved. Tricolors, with few excep- 

 tions, are rather tender, and do not succeed properly in 

 the open ground, unless under favourable conditions, and 

 in a warm situation. They may be grown well in small 

 pots, under glass. Cuttings from outside should be inserted 

 in pots, early in August, and a warm, rather dry, place 

 selected for them in winter. They may also be readily 

 propagated in heat during spring. The Bronze, Silver- 

 variegated, and Golden-leaved varieties are almost ex- 

 clusively used for bedding, and may be treated in the 

 same manner as recommended for bedding Zonals. In 

 summer propagating, however, they should bo attended 

 to first of the two ; and a little heat will be necessary 

 all winter, to preserve the leaves from damping. Varie- 

 gated Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums are only few in number; 

 being of trailing habit, they are very useful for vases, 

 hanging baskets, &o. 



Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. These have now become a 

 very important class, by the addition of numerous varieties 

 with semi-double flowers. They are more especially 

 adapted for pot culture and greenhouse embellishment 

 than for other purposes, and are most valuable in 

 summer and autumn, when it is desirable that plants 

 under glass should be different from those so plentiful 

 outside, or superior, in point of perfection, if they are 

 varieties of the same thing. Several of the single- 

 flowered trailing sorts are well adapted for hanging over 

 vases, &c., in summer; and such may also be grown in 

 pots, and trained on pyramidal or balloon-shaped trellises. 

 Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums are readily increased from cut- 

 tings, which may be inserted at any time when the plants 

 are growing. They should be grown on throughout the 

 summer, and be allowed to rest in a cool place all 



