PROPAGATING ZONAL PELARGONIUMS 

 A, cutting prepared ; B, cuttings inserted. 



174 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



midsummer if it is properly managed, and given a light, warm 

 greenhouse or conservatory. Those who have two or more houses 



can have successions of plants if 

 they like, and so have flowers right 

 through the winter and spring. Pro- 

 pagation is easily effected by means 

 of cuttings of young growing shoots, 

 taken off about three inches long, 

 just below a joint, in April or May. 

 They must not be kept moist and 

 close, like most cuttings, or they will 

 damp off. Each cutting may have a 

 separate small pot, filled with sandy 

 soil made quite firm ; or several cut- 

 tings may be put in a large pot, in this case being inserted just 



clear of each other all round the sides. When they begin to grow 



they may have a small pot each, in which 



they may remain until they have filled it 



with roots, when they should be transferred 



to five or six inch, using the normal soil, and 



making it quite firm. There is no need to 



keep them under glass during the summer; 



they will be better in the open air, so long 



as they are stood on a bed of ashes to keep 



out worms, and are not forgotten in dry 



weather. They may be placed under glass 



towards the end of September. They will 



probably begin tO throw Up flower Stems at SHOW, OR FANCY PELARGONIUMS 



once indeed, they may do so while in the A, old plant cut back, pot laid on 



J J side, plant resting ; B shows 



garden ; but if good winter blooming: is where old stems were cut back; 



C, C, young shoots growing. 



desired, these should be picked off as fast 



as they show until November or December, when they may be 



allowed to come into flower. They ought to be strong plants by 



