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ivhx 8, 190B. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Show Pelargonium Duchess of Teck. 



least one of these pelargoniums in their 

 collections of window plants. Thanks to 

 cooler summers, the flowering period in 

 Europe is more prolonged than here; 

 still, we can get two months of bloom 

 from them here, which is far more than 

 an azalea, rambler rose, genista, spiraea, 

 Easter lily or acacia will give. By adopt- 

 ing proper cultural methods they can be 

 flowered for Easter. Or, if preferred, 

 they can be held back for Memorial day 

 or even later. And, by the way, at this 

 latter holiday anyone having a good re- 

 tail trade, even if he cannot sell all his 

 plants, can make good use of the trusses 

 in bouquet or other decorative work. 



Their Merits and Their Uses. 



May and June is the time to see these 

 pelargoniums in full beauty. "What a 

 multiplicity of beautiful colorings are 

 represented in them and what a truly 

 gorgeous show they make! Anyone who 

 has not previously grown any should, if 

 possible, seie a batch in bloom and take 

 the names of desirable sorts. Where 

 nicely flowered pot plants are wanted, 

 these should certainly find a place. Tl;ey 

 make a welcome change from the ever- 

 lasting hydrangeas, which at this season 

 seem to be one of the chief staples, and 

 while they are not adapted for open-air 

 culture, they do finely on piazzas shaded 

 from the sun or in living-rooms. A good 

 plan is to place a number of one color 

 in large, fancy vases, plunged in moss 

 for piazzft'-use. With a little picking 

 over they will last quite a number, of 

 weeks in good shape. 



After the flowering season the plants 

 should be stood outdoors in a sunny 

 spot. Any flower trusses should be re- 

 moved and the water supply gradually 

 reduced till the leaves turn yellow. The 

 pots can then be laid on their sides and 

 no water given for some time. Early in 

 August the' wood will have become a 

 nutty brown color and the shoots can 

 then be cut back within one or two eyes 

 of the previous year 's growth ; the plants 

 can be syringed and encouraged to break. 

 When growth is starting, shake them 

 clean out of the pots, prune back the 



largest roots and place them in as small 

 pots as they can be crowded into, holding 

 them in a cold frame until early October. 



Propagation. 



Usually florists do not carry any plants 

 over a second year, and this is unneces- 

 sary, unless large plants are desired. 

 Cuttings taken any time after flowering, 

 preferably in August, will root easily in 

 a frame. They need little shade. Place 

 in sniall pots of sandy loam at first and 

 keep rather close for a few days, later 

 airing abundantly. A shift from 2^- 

 inch to 4-inch pots will be necessary by 

 the early part of October, at which time 

 they can be moved, if space permits, to a 

 cool, airy house, kept at 40 to 45 degrees 

 at night. They can, however, be held in 



a coldframe until the mum season ends, 

 if required. Last season we carried some 

 over winter in an unheated pit, where 

 frost was just excluded. In these cases 

 a slight dryness at the root during raid- 

 winter is necessary. For Easter flower- 

 ing no pinching should be done after 

 November, but for late blooming it can 

 be continued until the end of February. 

 Easter stock should receive its final shift 

 into 6-inch pots before Christmas, but 

 when wanted later the last potting can be 

 deferred until February. 



The Compost. 



Pelargoniums do well in a compost of 

 three-fourths fibrous loam and one-fourth 

 dry cow manure, adding a good dash of 

 sharp sand. When well rooted in the 

 flowering pots, liquid manure alternated 

 with chemical top-dressings will be found 

 stimulating. The plants require firm 

 potting to encourage short-jointed, firm 

 growth, which will be floriferous. 



Green aphis has a marked partiality 

 for these show and decorative pelar- 

 goniums, but if the houses get a weekly 

 fumigating, the pest will be kept in 

 cheek. Be sure not to use tobacco stems 

 while the plants are in flower. The 

 smoke from these will cause all the petals 

 to fall. Occasionally red spider attacks 

 tho foliage where plants are grown too 

 warm and dry, but as these plants dislike 

 a high temperature and should never 

 have a winter minimum of over 50 de- 

 grees, there should be little trouble from 

 this source. 



Some Good Sorts. 



Out of a host of beautiful show and 

 decorative pelargoniums the following 

 can be recommended as first-class: Lord 

 Roberts, rich, rosy red; J. Douglas, rosy 

 pink, white center; Captain Baikes, 

 bright crimson, dark blotch on upper 

 petals; Mme. Thibaut, a first-class old 

 variety, white heavily blotched and mar- 

 bled with rose; Duchess of Teck, the 

 finest pure white, probably a sport from 

 Mme. Thibaut; Countess of Crewe, 

 satiny rose, finely crimped; Crimson 

 King, brilliant crimson, stocky habit, 

 just the color in demand for Memorial 



Show Pelargonium Gloriosa. 



