December 21, 1871. ] 



JOtJBNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



483 



We now take a glance at another section of the great Gera- 

 nium family, and one which somehow has made less progress 

 than the other — namely, the Silver-edged class. Specimens of 

 this were in cultivation more than forty years ago, and no great 

 improvement was made for some fifteen or sixteen years, 

 during which time the plant was little used for bedding pur- 

 poses. One called Jackson's Variegated became known about 

 1848, or before, and with an older one did duty where Mangles', 

 which dates back to about 1843, was thought unsuitable. The 

 colour of the flower of these old white variegated kinds was not 

 very good, and a good scarlet and a plant of better habit was 

 much desired in 1850 or 1851. These qualities were presented 

 to us in Flower of the Day, a variety still in cultivation, but 

 considerable improvements have been made since then. Flower 

 of the Day was in great demand at the time, and, perhaps, 

 next to Golden Chain and Mrs. Pollock, was more grown than 

 any of the leaf-class ; but rivals to Flower of the Day were soon 

 forthcoming. Osborn's Brilliant surpassed it by many degrees 

 in the brilliancy and abundance of its flowers ; in fact, I believe 

 I am speaking within bounds when I say that Brilliant has never 

 been exceeded for abundant blooming. It is also one that Mr. 

 Fish recommended to a great extent. As a bloomer. Brilliant 

 occupied a higher position then than it at present does, for 

 its foliage is hardly white enough, but the habit is dwarf, while 

 at the same time it is a tree grower, and a greater number of 

 cuttings of Brilliant can be put into a bos, pot, or pan than 

 there can of any other kind I know, and they invariably do well. 

 Where a good white-edged variety is wanted to look well with- 

 out flower. Bijou, Flower of the Spring, Shottesham Pet, Silver 

 Star, Queen of Queens, and others, stand higher ; but I confess 

 to not being able to discern all the difierences that are made in 

 this class. 



A sort widely different remains to be noticed, and that is 

 the white-edged Oak-leaved, called, I think, Lady Plymouth. 

 This is certainly so much different from the others, that I do 

 not know I am justified in including it with them. I regard 

 the Silver-edged Geraniums of vastly more importance than the 

 Golden or Tricolors, or by whatever other name, such as Mrs. 

 Pollock, Lady CuUum, and others are styled, unless they have 

 to be examined close under the nose of the inspector, as at 

 the distance of 20 yards the white-edged ones have a finer 

 appearance, besides being much better grown in general, and 

 more easily kept through the winter. 



I now come to the Ivy-leaved section, a very distinct class, 

 one I think capable of much further improvement, and from 

 which I think it possible the coveted blue tints might be ob- 

 tained as soon as from the Zonal. I cannot precisely say when 

 this became common as a bedder, but it was known in plant- 

 houses long before anyone attempted to propagate it in suffi- 

 cient numbers to make a bed. There seems to be a greater 

 liability in some of the varieties to this sporting than there is 

 in the others, not in the foliage, but in the flower, a crimson 

 becoming a pink, and vice versa. The white, I think, is more 

 fixed, and is a greater acquisition to the garden, as the display 

 of flower on a bright sunny day, combined with the shining 

 green leaf, produces a very showy effect. I think much im- 

 provement may be made in the variegated class. The sort 

 called Golden possesses but little of that colour, and the ten- 

 dency of the white-edged one, L'El^ante, to assume a bronzy 

 hue in hot weather, is a defect rather than an advantage. 

 Duke of Edinburgh is better, but I still think improvement 

 may be made alike in foliage as in flower. I hope to see some 

 of the hues of the Petunia exemplified, and after that by degrees 

 a better lilac, lavender, and eventually a blue ; but this is con- 

 jectural. 



There is one more class which I ought to include in this 

 sketch of the family, and that is the Golden-coated section. I 

 confess enteringon this part of the subject with much reluctance, 

 for the twofold reason that I am no particular admirer of them, 

 and because I am not sufficiently versed in them to say much 

 about the respective merits of the kinds most in use. The 

 Golden-edged Geranium claims a much higher antiquity than is 

 often supposed. I certainly saw it before 1826, but for very 

 many years it was confined to the collections of the curious, and 

 certainly did not make its appearance out-doors until some 

 time after the white-edged ones had been so employed. I am 

 not sure but that the gardening world is not in a great measure 

 indebted to Mr. Beaton for calling attention to the Golden 

 Geranium as a fit and proper plant for bedding purposes. 

 However this may be, I do not believe it has been so employed 

 for more than twenty years, or, perhaps, so much. Golden 

 Chain, the origin of which I cannot give, was the kind first in 



fashion. This was followed by Golden Circle, Cloth of Gold, 

 Golden Fleece, and some others, until Mrs. Pollock made its ap- 

 pearance, giving altogether a new feature to the case, by supply- 

 ing a third colour to the leaf. Of the popularity of Mrs. Pollock 

 it is needless to speak, as it exists still, and, although the names 

 of its rivals are legion, continues to retain its place. The im- 

 portance of some other fine-coloured ones is that they are badly 

 grown, of bad habit, or it may be mifiy, or in some other 

 way deficient in the qualities which are necessary for a plant to 

 make way in the world, otherwise such varieties as Lady CuUum, 

 Florence, Louisa Smith, Sophia Diimaresque, and Edwina Fitz- 

 patriok, would be popular enough. When it is known that 

 perhaps as many growers lose these kinds as propagate them, 

 enough has been said. Mrs. Pollock is certainly better to 

 manage than some of them. There is another class that may 

 be carved out of this family which really do pretty well, and 

 these are those having leas pretensions to foliage display, but a 

 more robust growth and tolerably good flowering qnalifleationB, 

 as Perilla, Eefulgens, and Her Majesty. But the task of de- 

 ciding on the respective merits of those which only lay claim to 

 foliage attractions I must leave to some one else, since, having 

 before said I prefer the Silver-edged class for bedding purposes, 

 I fear 1 could not be held as impartial if I gave credit to 

 individuals in a class which I have already condemned as a 

 whole. 



Having extended this paper to a greater length than was ex- 

 pected, I must sum up in few words what I have to say on 

 the merits and demerits of Geraniums planted out in beds. 

 In my opinion a single inspection is by no means sufficient to 

 entitle a plant either to commendation or the reverse, but let 

 it be watched the whole summer and its character duly chro- 

 nicled — froni the middle of June to the middle of October — 

 and if this were done oncea-week with each aspirant to bedding 

 honours, it would be more easy at the end of the season to arrive 

 at a conclusion as to the merits and shortcomings of each than 

 to do so on one particular inspection. It is for this reason that 

 I do not pay so much regard to the otherwise valuable remarks 

 of the censors of the display at Chiswick. Seeing the whole 

 at one time is not enough, unless there is a very great num- 

 ber of plants— say fifty at least of each kind — and even then 

 the report would not meet all the requirements I hold neces- 

 sary, as circumstances may have delayed the due fiowering of 

 one kind and improved that of another. A more prolonged 

 observation of their qualifications is necessary to insure a just 

 character. Neither is the appearance which plants in quantity 

 make in a bed always to be depended upon. Nothing can be 

 more fallacious than to go into ecstacies about the appearance 

 which certain beds present at the end of August after a fort- 

 night or more of fine dry weather. All Geraniums are then 

 in their prime, and the very shyest bloomers are generally gay ; 

 but before a too hasty judgment is given, an inquiry into the 

 past and a close inspection should be made, for it may very 

 likely happen that the one the gardener of the place esteems 

 most has fewest flowers upon it, and for a very good reason — 

 the plants have been severely mutilated to supply cuttings, 

 whence the paucity of flowers. 



An instance of this occurred here during the present season. 

 In a long ribbon border we have are two rows of Stella Gera- 

 nium 350 feet long, or upwards. We wanted cuttings of these, 

 but they were, unfortunately, taken off about one-half of the 

 length instead of being cut from the whole of it. This oc- 

 curred about the Ist of September, and although there are still 

 plenty of plants left where the cuttings were taken off, it is 

 easy to tell to an inch, by looking at one end, how far the 

 cuttings had been taken by the smaller quantity of flowers. 

 Now this is the same on beds ; a good favourite kind is of 

 necessity mutilated, and towards the end of the season shows 

 it, but to condemn it for this would be wrong. It is advisable, 

 therefore, on the part of those who would be judges, to make- 

 themselves thoroughly acquainted, not only with the treatment 

 the plant has received during the season, but also the appear- 

 ance it has presented at certain portions of it, as the good ap- 

 pearance very often presented in August and Septemberought 

 not to be a sufficient guarantee that they have been in the 

 same gay condition lor months before that time. 



This observation, though made here in reference to Gera- 

 niums, is also applicable to many other plants, and especially 

 to such as Verbenas, on which there is the greatest mass of 

 bloom. Few plants, indeed, continue to furnish that profusion 

 of bloom that is often seen at one particular time for more 

 than four months in the year, and it is the grower's duty to 

 ascertain whether he would rather have them all in a fortnight, 



