PELARGONIUM 



GERANIUM OBDEB 



PELARGONIUM 289 



purple or pink, more or less veined, 3-5 

 or more on a stalk. 



P. zonale (Horseshoe ' Geranium '). — 

 A shrubby plant 2 ft. or more high, with 

 roundish, smooth or downy leaves, usually 

 with a dark horseshoe-like zone, orenate 

 toothed on the edges and slightly lobed. 

 riowers in summer, varying from scarlet 

 and crimson to red and pure white, many 

 on a stalk. 



The numerous varieties of Pelar- 

 goniums (Zonals, Silvers, Tricolors, 

 Bronzes &o.) used in bedding out are 

 derived from hybrids obtained by cross- 

 ing P. zonale with P. inquinans. The 

 processes of selecting and crossing have 

 gone on for nearly 200 years, and the 

 progeny obtained are in no way like their 

 parents. In the Zonal Pelargonium 

 proper, it has been the aim of the gar- 

 dener to get rid of the dissimilarity in the 

 petals, and to obtain flowers in which 

 every petal shall be equal, the whole 

 forming a perfectly circular outline with- 

 out a break between the petals. How 

 far he has succeeded may be seen at any 

 exhibition; not only are the flowers 

 perfectly symmetrical in outline, but the 

 size of the individual blooms, or ' pips ' as 

 they are technically called, has been 

 greatly increased, and they are often larger 

 than an ordinary watch. 



Culture. — -The outdoor cviltivation of 

 the Pelargonium is extremely simple. 

 About the end of May or beginning of 

 June according to locality and state of the 

 weather, plants may be put into beds or 

 borders containing ordinary well-dug soil, 

 if a rich, sandy loam so much the better. 

 Sometimes the varieties are mixed or 

 kept separate according to the taste of 

 the planter, but in any case they should 

 not be nearer than 6 to 9 inches, or even 

 more, as they soon make bushy growth. 



Propagation. — The plants are usually 

 increased by cuttings, which may be 

 taken at any time as long as they are not 

 too sappy. From June to August, how- 

 ever, is the best time out of doors. The 

 cuttings may be inserted 2-3 in. apart in 

 a prepared spot with a fair amount of 

 sunshine, and by September they will 

 have made good growth and plenty of 

 roots. They should then be potted up 

 singly in small pots and kept in a green- 

 house or cold dry frame during the winter 

 or in any light airy place where they will 

 not be touchedby frost. If possible the tem- 

 perature during the winter months should 



not fall below 45° or 50° Fahr., and only 

 very little water is required. If too much 

 moisture is in the soil or atmosphere, the 

 leaves and young growths are attacked with 

 a fungus^ which soon causes them to decay. 

 The best remedy against this is to raise 

 the temperature by artificial means, such 

 as hot- water pipes, and keep the greenhouse 

 or frame in which the plants are grown in 

 a fairly dry condition. 



Where Zonal Pelargoniums can be 

 grown in greenhouses during the winter 

 months to keep up a good supply of 

 bloom it is necessary to keep the tem- 

 perature up to about 65°-70° Fahr., and 

 the atmosphere overhead should not be 

 charged with moisture to any great extent. 

 The plants are usually raised from cut- 

 tings taken in spring and rooted in gentle 

 heat, either singly in small pots, or in 

 shallow boxes or pans. When well 

 rooted they are potted up and grown 

 on as mentioned above. No blossoms, 

 however, are allowed to develop. As 

 they appear they are pinched out with 

 the finger and thumb, and all the energy 

 of the plant is devoted to strengthening 

 its constitution for flowering during the 

 winter months. From the beginning of 

 June to the end of September the plants 

 should be stood out in the open air in a 

 warm sunny position, and if kept well 

 watered, and the shoots and blossoms 

 pinched out, they wUl make fine bushy 

 specimens by the end of the season. In 

 the case of cuttings and seedlings, when 

 well rooted, the tip of the main shoot 

 should be pinched out. This wUl induce 

 the side buds to make branches, and 

 thus give the plant a dwarfer and 

 sturdier habit. If pinching is neglected, 

 the plants become lanky and weak, and 

 do not flower so freely. 



Zonal Pelargoniums may also be easily 

 raised from seeds sown in August or 

 September as soon as ripe. They ger- 

 minate freely, and if the seedlings can 

 be kept safe from frost during the winter, 

 they will be fine and sturdy for planting 

 out in early summer. In this way many 

 new forms are likely to be obtained, and 

 if any" are really an improvement on exist- 

 ing varieties they may be retained and 

 increased by cuttings in the way described 

 above. 



The above remarks apply to all 

 sections of Pelargoniums. It wiU, how- 

 ever, be found that some varieties, 

 especially among the ' Tricolors,' are 



