January 20, 1910. 



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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



WINTER FLOWERING GERANIUM 



Geraniums Never Unseasonable. 



In spite of the striking advance made 

 in cannas and other flowering bedding 

 plants, there has been no lessening in the 

 popularity of geraniums, which could 

 be less easily spared than any other plant 

 for summer bedding. It is seldom that 

 specialists in geraniums have much of a 

 surplus at the end of the season, and the 

 person who grows a selection of reliable 

 and up-to-date varieties in quantity can 

 more readily dispose of them than any 

 other plants. Looking back even a cou- 

 ple of decades, a notable advance in the 

 zonal section is apparent. Some of the 

 old-timers still remain and will be hard 

 to displace, but each year the new Euro- 

 pean introductions of Lemoine, Cannell, 

 Bruant, Kozain-Boucharlat and other 

 specialists give us some glorious varie- 

 ties. All may not be adaptable for bed- 

 ding purposes, but for pot culture what 

 can be finer? 



It would almost seem as if the culture 

 of geraniums for winter flowering was 

 something of a lost art, as so few of 

 them are seen of late years. Signs of an 

 awakened interest are manifesting them- 

 selves and they are destined to become as 

 popular during midwinter as they now 

 are in May. 



A well flowered 6-inch pot of Jacquerie, 

 Paul Crampel, Emile Zola or Maxime 

 Kovalevski will take the average pur- 

 chaser 's eye quicker than the omnipresent 

 azaleas, poinsettias, Lorraine begonias 

 or cyclamens for Christmas. With the 

 passing of this holiday, poinsettias and 

 Lorraines rather pall upon us, but gerani- 

 ums are never unseasonable, being as 

 serviceable in the hottest as in the cold- 

 est months, and with a reasonable amount 

 of care will give as lasting pleasure as 

 any other flowering plant and more than 

 niost. For the country florist doing con- 

 siderable retail trade, there is a splendid 

 chance to grow and dispose of many of 

 these in winter as well as in early sum- 

 mer. I have noted that where well flow- 

 ered plants were placed on sale along- 

 side of other winter blooming subjects, 

 the geraniums have always been eagerly 

 snapped up, for who is there who does 

 not like these plants when well grown and 

 flowered? 



Starting the Winter Stock. 



For any who may wish to try their 

 luck with them another season, cuttings 

 should be taken in late January or early 

 T'ebruary. Use a 2-inch pot for each. 

 This is far more satisfactory than the 

 cutting bench. Instead of clear sand, 

 use loam lightened with a dash of leaf- 

 mold and sufficient sharp sand to make it 

 porous. If the pots can be stood on a 

 i^ench over heating pipes to give them a 

 'ittle bottom heat, they will root all the 

 more speedily. They want no shade. 

 After the initial watering, they should 

 l>e allowed to dry out well before being 



soaked again. Not over five per cent of 

 the cuttings should fail to root. 



Shift ^ong into 3-inch, 4-inch and 

 6-inch pots as required, cutting out the 

 leaf -mold and using good fibrous loam, 

 to which some spent mushroom manure or 

 old cow manure, with a little fine bone, 

 is added. As a rule, 6-inch pots are the 

 best size to flower the plants in. They 

 bloom better when well matted with 

 roots. During the summer months they 

 can be stood outside if desired, but I 

 find they do more satisfactorily if kept 

 under glass all the time. Pinching to 

 keep the plants shapely will be necessary. 

 If wanted for Christmas blooming, this 

 must be discontinued at the end of Sep- 

 tember. All flower trusses should be re- 

 moved until six or eight weeks before 

 they are wanted in full bloom. Some 

 varieties of a naturally stocky habit, such 

 as Scaramouche, Emile Zola, Eeformator 

 and Ian Maclaren, will not require much 

 pinching, while, on the bther hand, such 

 varieties as The Sirdar, Jacquerie, 

 Maxime Kovalevski, Pamela and J. M. 

 Barrie will require considerable. 



Feeding and Watering. 



When the flowering pots are well filled 



with roots, feeding should commence and 

 continue right up to the end of the flow- 

 ering season. Liquid animal manures 

 promote too soft and flabby a growth and 

 are not conducive to floriferousness. The 

 safest and best fertilizers are Bon Arbor 

 No. 1 and Clay's fertilizer. The latter is 

 an old, reliable sort, which gives splen- 

 did results. A common error, and one 

 often responsible for geraniums blooming 

 poorly while growing strongly, is keep- 

 ing them too constantly moist at the 

 root. Even while in flower it is best to 

 allow them to dry out well between the 

 waterings. This hardens the wood and 

 promotes floriferousness, while when con- 

 stantly damp they make a rank, soft 

 growth and flower unsatisfactorily. 



A cool, sunny house, with abundant 

 ventilation, is best for the plants in sum- 

 mer. While flowering, a rather dry at- 

 mosphere and a night temperature of 50 

 degrees suits them well. A light shade 

 may be necessary when the plants are in 

 flower, more especially in the southern 

 states. 



As a general thing, the single flower- 

 ing sorts are much to be preferred to the 

 doubles for winter flowering. They 

 bloom much more profusely and visitors 

 in nearly every case select them in pref- 

 erence to the best doubles. If to be 

 shipped considerable distances, doubles 

 may be more desirable, but not other- 

 wise. 



Some Suitable Varieties. 



The following varieties are all strictly 

 first-class and make excellent pot plants: 

 Lucile Hill, light salmon rose, big trusses, 

 carried on long stems, flowers closely 

 packed in the trusses; Louis Eenault, a 

 good Lemoine variety, dwarf habit. 



Geranium L'Aube. 



