180 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



render them indispensable for summer bedding ; in mild dis- 

 tricts they prove hardy enough to stand the winter outside 

 with a light covering of ashes, &c, though it is always best 

 to lift and store them in a dry shed, starting them into growth 

 again in spring. 



Pelargoniums. — In the whole range of bedding plants it 

 would be difficult to name a more popular favourite than the 

 Zonal Pelargonium ; it matters little where you go, whether into 

 the gardens of the wealthy, or into those of the humblest cottagers, 

 the "Zonal" is to be seen in all its splendour. It is a plant 

 very easily propagated by means of cuttings at any season - ; the 

 best time, however, is about the middle of August, when the 

 plants in the beds have made vigorous and firm growth, and the 

 cuttings will not be missed. The best cuttings are obtained from 

 the outsides of the beds, where the growths are usually short- 

 jointed and firm ; these make much finer plants than those from 

 the centre of the beds, where the growths are long and grassy. 

 The cuttings will root freely if inserted in boxes of light sandy 

 soil and stood in cool frames, or even in the open air. During 

 the winter they should be placed in a dry pit, having at command 

 sufficient fire-heat to keep them safe from frost, and to expel 

 damp. If the foliage is crowded it might with advantage be 

 thinned out a little, so as to allow of a free circulation of air 

 amongst the cuttings. After the end of October they should not 

 have more water than is necessary to keep them from drooping. 

 During the winter they should be constantly looked over, and 

 any dead or decaying leaves ought to be at once removed. 

 About the middle of February they may be taken carefully from 

 the cutting-boxes and potted singly into 3in.-pots in a compost 

 of loam, sand, and a little well-decayed farmyard manure, placed 

 in light, dry pits, kept rather close for a few days until 

 established, and then given an abundance of air. About the 

 beginning of May they should be placed outside so that they may 

 be thoroughly hardened off ready for planting out in June. Some 

 people insert the cuttings somewhat thinner in the cutting-boxes, 

 pinch out the points in February, and transplant direct from the 

 boxes to the open ground. Others strike the cuttings in the 

 open ground in autumn and when rooted, lift and pot up 

 singly into 3m. pots ; this method may be very good, but 

 far more room is required for housing the plants in winter, 

 and this is not always at liberty. If it is found during 

 the winter that more plants will be required than has been 

 bargained for, a quantity of the autumn-struck cuttings should 

 be introduced to heat early in February, and when a few 

 inches of growth have been made, they may be topped for 

 cuttings, placing the tops in a warm propagating-frame until 

 rooted, then potting off carefully and hardening by introducing 

 to more light and air. 



