68 GARDENING DIFFICULTIES SOLVED 



The Best Bedding Geranium 



Q. I wish to have a blaze of colour in one bed and prefer to plant 

 Geraniums. Which is the best variety 1 Hopeful, Chester. 



A. Zonal Pelargonium Paul Crampel is described as richest fiery 

 scarlet in colour, with large flowers and trusses and fine foliage. A 

 truer description was never given of a Zonal Pelargonium. Amateurs 

 who have not yet grown this variety in their flower beds should do 

 so. To obtain the best effect it is best to allow each plant ample 

 space to grow in, and, if possible, to devote one large bed to them 

 rather than mix them with other varieties. As a rule Zonals should 

 not be planted in a rich soil ; but the soil may be rich for Paul 

 Crampel. It will then grow luxuriantly and produce trusses of 

 flowers as large as the crown of one's hat. 



How to Grow the Flame Nasturtium 



Q. Will you please tell me the best way to grow Tropaeolum 

 speciosum ? Ought I to start with seeds or plants ? C. F., Colt/ton. 



A. You will have the greatest chance of success with this lovely 

 flower if you obtain rhizomes, or underground stems, which are thick 

 and fleshy, and somewhat like those of the bindweed in genera 

 appearance. These ought to be planted 2 to 3 inches deep in fairly 

 good, moist, loamy soil, in a north, north-west, or west aspect. 

 Plant in autumn or spring. In some gardens it grows like a weed, 

 whilst in others it is most difficult to establish. There is really no 

 accounting for its perverseness sometimes, for .if the conditions under 

 which it thrives excellently in other places are apparently copied in 

 every detail it fails to succeed. 



Staking Perennials and Berried Shrubs for Wall 



Q. What is the best way to stake hardy perennials 3 to 4 feet 

 high to maintain a natural appearance and afford protection from 

 high winds 1 What are the best berry bearing shrubs suitable for 

 walls 1 also in the form of bushes for beds or borders ? A. , Brix- 

 ton Hill. 



A. There are two ways open to you in staking your perennials. 

 One method is to tie four or five stakes round each clump and run 

 several rows of string round them. The other is to thin out the 

 shoots well, then stake each one separately, taking care to insert the 

 stakes so as to give each plant its natural position. The best ever- 

 green wall shrubs are Crataegus Pyracantha, C. crenulata, Cotone- 

 aster microphylla, C. buxifolia, and C. angustifolia. For borders all 



