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III llSi 





PELARGONIUMS AND 



THEIR PREFERENCES 



Botanically speaking, pelargoniums include all the plants commonly 

 known as geraniums. In this article, hoivever, the word pelargonium is used 

 chiefly in its narrower, more familiar sense, as referring only to one group 

 of pelargoniums, the show group, often called Lady Washington geraniums. 



N CONSIDERING the 

 merits of two of the lead- 

 ing classes of pelargoniums 

 — the show group, usually 

 known simply as pelargo- 

 niums, and the zonal 

 group, commonly called ge- 

 raniums — it must be ad- 

 mitted that each of the 

 two types of plants fills a 

 distinct place, and fills it so well as to 

 deserve a large share of praise. Neither 

 type has a monopoly of the good quali- 

 ties; each is superb in 

 its own fashion. There 

 would be no excuse for 

 disparaging one type 

 so as to exalt the other 

 by contrast. Most of 

 the limitations o r 

 shortcomings of pelar- 

 goniums, as distin- 

 guished from gerani- 

 ums, may be summar- 

 ized in the one state- 

 ment that the pelargo- 

 niums do not enjoy tho 

 hot American summers, 

 but prefer the more 

 moderate temperatures 

 and more somber sun- 

 light of Europe. 

 Largely for that rea- 

 son, their blooming 

 period in America is 

 comparatively short, 

 usually being limited 

 to two months. 



Pros and Cons. 



The geraniums are 

 more thoroughgoing 

 Americans, developing 

 their colors particular- 

 ly well under the clear 

 American skies, and 

 blooming continuously. 

 Therefore they serve 

 excellently as house 

 and box plants 

 throughout the year, 

 besides being invalu- 

 able in summer for 

 bedding purposes, for 

 which pelargoniums are 

 e n t i r ely unsuitable. 

 Two other complaints 

 also have been entered 

 against pelargoniums — 

 that they are a favor- 

 ite prey of green aphis 

 and that they are li- 

 able to drop their pet- 

 als in damp spring 

 weather if the grower 

 briefly relaxes his vigi- 



lance and fails to supply a little arti- 

 ficial heat. 



But that about closes the evidence 

 against pelargoniums; now consider 

 some of the testimony in their defense. 

 When in their prime they are superla- 

 tively handsome and floriferous; they 

 are then really, superior to geraniums 

 as decorative flowering plants. Well 

 grown specimens cannot easily be sur- 

 passed in symmetry and gorgeous 

 beauty. In shady piazzas, or in the 

 dry air of residences if the temperature 



The Grower of this Easter Greeting Says Topping Is Unnecessary. 



is not too high, they seem to be well 

 contented, growing and flowering satis- 

 factorily. Their blooming period, even 

 when restricted to two months, greatly 

 exceeds that of the average Easter 

 lilies, acacias, spiraeas, genistas, azaleas 

 or rambler roses. 



Moreover, some of the more modern 

 pelargoniums, such as Easter Greeting 

 and its sports, seem to have gone far 

 toward inuring themselves to the try- 

 ing conditions of American summers; 

 they are becoming acclimatized and 

 therefore are more per- 

 sistent bloomers than 

 are the older varieties. 

 The season of bloom 

 may also be appreci- 

 ably extended by the 

 judicious use of light 

 shading on the glass. 

 While speaking of ac- 

 climatization, it may 

 be well to state that 

 nearly a 1 1 pelargoni- 

 ums, including the ge- 

 raniums of greenhouse 

 and garden, are natives 

 of South Africa. Per- 

 haps it should be men- 

 tioned also, to avoid all 

 possible misunderstand- 

 ing, that there is a 

 genus of plants which 

 are botanically called 

 geraniums and some- 

 times called crane's- 

 bills, and which are 

 used considerably in 

 borders and rockeries, 

 but these are not the 

 well known geraniums 

 of the trade. The flo- 

 rists' geraniums are 

 distinct from the bota- 

 nists' geraniums. 



Starting a Stock. 



In order to describe 

 the complete yearly 

 cycle of operations in 

 pelargonium culture, 

 let it be supposed that 

 the grower, or the pros- 

 pective grower who is 

 reading these notes, has 

 procured a supply of 

 good -sized stock 

 plants, perhaps in 4- 

 inch or 5-inch pots. If 

 his principal purpose is 

 to obtain cuttings, 

 multitudes of cuttings, 

 he may keep the stock 

 plants growing moder- 

 ately all summer, pref- 



