PELARGONIUM 



PELARGONIUM 



2527 



peared under the name of "gros bois," or "large-wood" 

 race. It is characterized as follows by Dauthenay: 

 umbels ordinarily 4 to 5 inches in diameter: flowers very 

 large; petals roundish, or sometimes triangular, the limb 

 always very large and giving the corolla a remarkably 

 round contour: leaves very large, thick and coriaceous, 

 plane or incurved, more or less indented, strongly 

 nerved, their diameter averaging about 5 inches, pedi- 

 cels large and short: peduncles large, rigid, and pro- 

 jecting beyond the foliage: wood soft, fleshy, very large, 

 often \Yi inches around. To this type Dauthenay refers 

 the Bruant geraniums, dating 

 from 1882. A special hand- 

 book is devoted to these 

 plants : Dauthenay, "Les 

 Geraniums," Paris, 1897. 



. No. 7. 



II. The ivy-leaved geraniums, products largely of 

 Pelargonium peltatum (Fig. 2839). The species is said 

 to have been introduced into England in 1701. It is a 

 weak and straggling plant, used mostly in vases, hang- 

 ing-baskets, and other places in which an overhanging 

 subject is desired. The foliage is thick and shiny, 

 slightly peltate and prominently angle-lobed, and the 

 pink or reddish two-lipped flowers are always admired. 

 Much-improved and double forms are now in commerce. 



III. The "show" or fancy type is known to gardeners 

 as "pelargonium," and in this country also as Lady 

 Washington geraniums (Fig. 2845). These plants are 

 very popular in Europe, being grown in numerous 

 varieties. They are prominent at the exhibitions. 

 Because of the hot trying summer climate, these plants 

 are of very secondary importance in America, although 

 there are many gardeners who succeed well with them. 

 This race of pelargoniums seems to have descended 

 chiefly from P. cucullatum, although P. angulosum may 

 be nearly equally concerned in it. P. grandiflarum is 

 also thought to have been a formative parent. It is 

 probable that two or three other species are concerned 

 in the evolution. In fact, the late Shirlev Hibbard once 

 wrote (G.C., July 3, 1880) that "it must be evident to 

 even- cultivator of these flowers that the blood of a 

 score or so of species is mingled in them." This marked 

 garden race, which represents no single wild species, is 

 designated as the Domesticum group. 



IV. Various scented-leaved geraniums, known mostly 

 as "rose geraniums." These are of several species, with 

 their hybrids and derivatives. The common rose 

 geraniums are nearest P. graveolens and P. Radula. The 

 nutmeg geranium is P. odoraiissimum or P. fragrans. 



Aside from the above groups there are several species 

 which appear sporadically in the trade, as P. tomen- 

 tosum, P. echinatum, P. triste, P. quinqiievulnerum, P. 

 fulgidum, and P. quercifolium or the derivatives of them. 

 Few great collections of pelargonium species and 

 varieties have been made in this country, and this is 

 much to be regretted. 



Culture of zonal geraniums. (C. W. Ward.) 



While the general florist may consider geranium- 

 culture the easiest of all gardening, the fact remains that 

 it is as necessary to observe the requirements of the 

 geranium as it is to observe the requirements of any 

 other plant, in order to succeed and produce the best 

 effects attainable. While it is true that the geranium 

 will grow and make a good showing with comparatively 

 little care, there is as much difference between a skil- 

 fully grown geranium plant and one carelessly grown 

 as there is between a fancy and a common rose or 

 carnation. 



To secure the best results it is necessary to propagate 

 from perfectly healthy stock. The dangers of over- 

 propagation are as great with the geranium 

 as with most other plants. To keep most 

 varieties in good health it is necessary to plant 

 the stock intended for propagation in the field 

 and to propagate either from the field-grown 

 wood in August or early September, or to lift 

 the plants in the month of September and plant them 

 on benches in the greenhouse, where they will become 

 established and will maintain a vigorous constitution 

 throughout the winter season. The propagation from 

 field-grown wood is far less successful than from wood 

 grown inside, and when the field-grown cuttings are 

 placed in sand, a large percentage of them is likely to 

 damp-off, especially S there has been a comparatively 

 abundant rainfall in the month of July. The best 

 method that the writer has found for striking the field- 

 grown cuttings is to put them in 2-inch pots, using a 

 light sandy soil free from all manure and chemicals, 

 and to place the pots in the full sunlight either in a 

 coolhouse or a frame. These cuttings must be kept on 

 the dry side until the calluses have been well formed, 

 although they should not be allowed to shrivel at any 

 time. If the cuttings show signs of shriveling, a light 

 syringing is preferable to a heavy watering. After the 

 roots have started, the treatment of the plants is the 

 same as if the cuttings had been rooted in the sand and 

 repotted. The writer considers wood grown inside 

 superior to field-grown wood, as the cuttings are much 

 shorter-jointed; most of them can be taken from the 

 plant with a heel and 95 to 100 per cent of them will 

 root in sand in the ordinary cutting-bench. 



A good temperature for* the geranium propagating- 

 house is 56 to 60, with a bottom heat of 65 to 68. 

 While the cuttings are in the sand and before they are 

 rooted, care must be taken about keeping them too 

 moist for fear of "damping-off," or what geranium- 

 growers know as "black-rot." As soon as the cutting 

 is thoroughly callused and begins to emit roots, it 

 should be potted up at once. The best soil for gera- 

 niums, according to the writer's experience, is a firm 

 pliable clay loam; this is best if used absolutely without 

 any manure, especially fresh manure. After potting the 

 cuttings they should be lightly watered and shaded for a 

 day or so if the sun is extremely hot, until the roots 

 take hold and the foliage fills up and the stems begin to 

 look plump. The geranium should not be grown at any 

 time in its young state in a soil that is too rich, and care 

 must also be taken that the plants are not kept too wet. 

 The geranium is subject to few diseases, and so far 

 as the writer has been able to observe these diseases 

 are brought on by improper treatment, such as having 

 too much fresh rank manure in the soil or keeping the 

 plants too wet. Too much strong plant-food in the earth 

 combined with too much moisture induces a condition 

 of the leaves ordinarily called "spot." It usually 

 appears in the hottest weather or immediately after 

 extreme heat accompanied by copious showers or rains. 

 Excellent specimen geranium plants may be grown in 

 pots, especially of some of the newer French and Eng- 

 lish round-flowered varieties. In order to produce the 

 best results, choose young vigorous plants that have 



