FLOEISTS' FLOWERS. 



295 



in which the Zonal Pelargoniums played so impor- 

 tant a part, has been, to a large extent, abandoned, it 

 is now much more grown in pots for green-house 

 decoration, and especially for flowering during the 

 autumn and winter. All through the autumn and 

 winter months, fine young plants of Zonal Pelargo- 

 niums raised from cuttings taken the previous 

 spring will bloom freely, but to do so should be 

 grown by themselves in small, warm, airy houses 

 where the plants can have plenty of light and a 

 dry warm atmosphere. Messrs. Heniy Cannell and 

 Son, the well-known florists at Swanley in Kent, 

 have been foremost in showing how well adapted the 

 Zonal Pelargonium is for flowering in winter, and it 

 is their practice to exhibit during the dark months 

 bunches of fl.owers of marvellous size, great beauty, 

 and wonderful colouring. They have adopted the 

 practice of running a hot- water pipe round their 

 houses, above the plant stage, and level with the 

 flowers. This gives just the dry warm atmosphere 

 required to produce the flowers in such splendid 

 form. As a matter of course they are well attended 

 to in all other respects. 



Some years ago the late Mr. Donald Beaton raised 

 a race of Zonal Pelargoniums that were designated 

 " Nosegays," because they produced very large 

 trusses of bloom, but the individual flowers were 

 much smaller and less perfect in form than in the 

 case of the newer Zonal types. What crosses were 

 used by ]\Ir. Beaton has never been stated ; but this 

 section soon - became very popular, especially for 

 bedding purposes, as they were generally very pro- 

 fuse of bloom. Several raisers turned their attention 

 to the improvement of this section, and by crossing 

 the varieties with some of the better-formed Zonals 

 an advance in point of form was secured ; but the 

 trusses retained the nosegay character. Eventually 

 a section was formed, termed Hybrid Nosegays ; but 

 now so closely interwoven are the Zonal and Nose- 

 gay types that they cannot be separated. The 

 greatest credit is due to the late Mr. J. R. Pearson, 

 of the Chilwell Nurseries, Nottingham, for the 

 admirable work he did (which his successors are 

 continuing) in the way of improving the Hybrid 

 Nosegay section. He gave us good habits of growth, 

 robust constitution, large trusses of flowers of the 

 most approved form, novel and distinct colours, and 

 the utmost freedom of blooming. 



All the varieties of the Zonal section can be propa- 

 gated with the greatest ease. Gardeners, who have 

 to provide a large quantity of plants, take their 

 cuttings in July and August, and put them into a 

 sandy soil forming a bed made up in the open 

 ground, or in boxes of light sandy soil which are 

 stood in the open air. They quickly root, when they 

 are potted off, one or several in a pot, to winter, or 



they are kept in the cutting-boxes all the winter. 

 Or cuttings can be stuck in pots ; and these can be 

 taken at any season of the year ; but late summer 

 and spring are the best. In regard to wintering 

 Zonal Pelargoniums, damp is one of the greatest 

 enemies to their well-being ; if only the plants can 

 be kept warm, faiiiy dry, and free from damp, they 

 will winter in safety. They will not require a great 

 deal of water, but they must not be allowed to be- 

 come dust-dry, unless some frosty weather prevails. 

 When planted out in beds and borders. Zonal 

 Pelargoniums should not have too rich a soil, or they 

 grow too much to foliage. On the other hand, too 

 poor a soil results in starvation, and this should be 

 avoided. A richer soil is needed when the plants 

 are grown in pots ; it is when the plants get 

 somewhat pot-bound that they flower best, and 

 then they need a little stimulus in the way of 

 weak manure- water. 



There is now quite a large group of double- 

 flowered Zonals of various colours. The flowers of 

 the single varieties are not very lasting, and it is 

 customary, when cultivators exhibit plants, to drop 

 a little Hquid gum into the centre of the flowers, 

 which makes them much more durable. This is also 

 done in the case of cut flowers sent to the market for 

 sale. None of the single Pelargoniums are lasting in 

 a cut state, and thus a little gum, carefully applied, 

 considerably prolongs the freshness of the flowers. 

 The double varieties are much more persistent, and 

 this is why they are taking the place of the single 

 Zonal for all cut purposes. They are also largely 

 used for house decoration, and exhibition purposes, 

 and it must be admitted they are most valuable. 

 They are of great variety of colour : crimson and 

 scarlet, purple, mauve and lilac, cerise, pink and 

 salmon, rose-pink, flesh-coloured and white. We 

 cannot too highly commend them to the attention of 

 our readers. 



Ivij-lcaved Pelargoniums. — These represent a well- 

 known and most useful section, the varieties being 

 the offspring of P. peltatum, or P. lateripes ; the 

 true Ivy-leaved varieties are of trailing habit, and 

 are chiefly used for vases and borderings out of 

 doors. Of late years a valuable race of hybrids 

 has been obtained by crossing the finely - formed 

 Zonal varieties wdth a view of obtaining higher 

 qualit}^ in the flowers. The results have been most 

 satisfactory, and that without affecting to any great 

 extent the trailing character common to the species. 

 There are now in cultivation Hybrid Ivy-leaved 

 Pelargoniums with flowers so striking in point of 

 size and colour as to be surprising. Double fomis 

 are also produced, catalogues are rich in these, and 

 they make excellent decorative plants. The Pelar- 

 gonium Society (now unhappily defunct) made a 



