264 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ZONAL PELARGONIUMS FOR WINTER. 



By Mr. Charles Pearson, F.R.H.S. 



[Bead November 15, 1892.] 



I have great pleasure in responding to our Secretary's request 

 to give a few details as to the treatment of Zonal Pelargoniums 

 (popularly mis-called Geraniums) for winter flowering, as there is 

 no more useful plant grown for this season when its requirements 

 are thoroughly understood ; and I quite hope that its general 

 adoption for this purpose will still keep our old favourite in the 

 front rank of popular plants, a position it was at one time in 

 danger of losing owing to the decline of the bedding-out fever. 



The great charm of the Zonal Pelargonium for winter work 

 lies in the wonderful range of colour which it possesses, from 

 the darkest crimson, through scarlet, salmon, and pink to 

 purest white, in which respect it is without a rival during the 

 duller and colder months of the year ; and I have frequently 

 noticed that people who object to its vivid tints in summer, 

 disparaging a well-bloomed batch of plants as " gaudy," will 

 in December and J anuary revel in the feast of colour they afford, 

 and declare that it has the effect of a tonic on them. 



It is often objected that the flowers are too fragile to bear 

 cutting and travelling, but this defect (which in itself is less 

 marked in winter than in summer) may easily be overcome by 

 careful packing and gumming, the latter operation consisting of 

 placing a drop of florist's gum in the eye of each flower, after 

 which they may be sent long distances with safety. It should, 

 however, be remarked that the durability of the flowers is 

 sometimes lessened by the inferior quality of the gum employed. 

 This, I believe, is owing to the use of impure methylated spirit 

 for dissolving the gum, in order to cheapen production. This 

 may be avoided by making one's own gum, which is easily done 

 by dissolving a little white gum-lac in spirit of wine, adding 

 gum until it is thick enough to drop freely from a pointed 

 stick. Spirit of wine is, of course, dearer than the methylated 

 spirit, but it is safe, and also free from the objectionable smell of 

 the latter. 



