May 22, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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Crystal Palace Show, two clays. 
Royal Botanic Society at 3.45 P.M. 
Sunday after Ascension. 
Royal Horticultural Society. (Committees at 11 A.M.) Fruit and Vege- 
Society of Arts at 8 P.M. [table Show. 
DOUBLE ZONAL PELARGONIUMS. 
7 S far as actual beauty is concerned I freely admit 
that the single varieties of Zonal Pelargoniums 
are decidedly preferable to these, but for general 
utility they by no means equal the double, or 
rather the semi-double, flowering sorts. For 
affording a continuous supply of trusses during 
the late autumn, winter, and spring months the 
latter are invaluable. A few plants of each 
variety I shall recommend for winter flowering 
may perhaps be found in innumerable gardens, but this is a 
proof that they are not appreciated or dozens would be grown. 
We have by no means a great amount of house room, yet we 
contrive to give up one house to semi-double Pelargoniums 
from the end of September to the beginning of June, a late 
crop of Melons being grown in the meantime. All cannot 
devote a house to similar purposes, but there are many 
gardens where a much larger house might with advantage be 
occupied with Pelargoniums during the winter and spring 
months, while in smaller gardens part of a forcing house may 
profitably be given up to them. 
Culture.-— Their cultural requirements are very simple, 
and I shall only briefly detail them, the object of this paper 
being to induce others to commence their culture on a much 
larger scale. We find that the old plants cut back, repotted, 
and grown for winter do not prove so satisfactory as young 
plants, as they form too long-jointed sappy shoots, and these 
are not of a floriferous description. We raise a given number 
of plants each year, and also reserve a certain number of the 
best young plants of the previous season’s rearing, and these 
are not cut back. In this manner we have plants of various 
heights, and which are necessary for effective arrangement. 
The cuttings are struck in heat during April, are stopped 
when rooted and commencing to grow, potted off if struck 
several cuttings in a pot, or given a shift if they are struck 
singly in small pots. They are kept growing in heat, always, 
however, in a light airy position, pinched back once or twice 
to make them bushy, and given another shift, this time 
usually into their flowering pots. Any good sandy loamy 
soil suits them. 
Early in June the pits and frames are cleared of the 
summer bedding plants, and some of them are then filled 
with the Pelargoniums. Here they receive careful attention 
in watering and ventilation, and are kept from flowering. 
During dry weather the lights are drawn off, but I do not 
believe in the “baking” often considered necessary either 
for these or for the single-flowering varieties intended for the 
late autumn and winter display. Our aim is to keep them 
quite green and growing slowly, and if we do not secure quite 
so much bloom at first the trusses are much finer and more 
continuously developed. If it is advisable to protect or 
lightly shade them from very bright sunshine it is of still 
greater importance that the plants be sheltered from heavy 
winds and saturating rains. 
Most of our young plants are flowered in well-drained 
8 -inch pots, and those reserved for next season’s display, 
No. 201. —Vol. "VIII., Third Series. 
when removed from the forcing house in June, are hardened 
and then given a shift into 10-inch pots. One good stake is 
placed in the centre of each, and to this the principal branches 
are loosely tied. They are thus neither bushes nor pyramids, 
but more correctly pillars. These, too, are sheltered in deep 
pits as much as possible, and encouraged to form short-jointed 
yet healthy growth. At the outset, not having any large old 
plants, we struck six cuttings in a pot and grew these without 
stopping, this resulting in large serviceable specimens, as all 
the sorts are given to branching. 
All should be housed by the middle of September and 
commence blooming at once. They will not be continuous- 
blooming in a greenhouse temperature, but succeed to per¬ 
fection in a light forcing house, especially if stood on a 
staging over the hot-water pipes. A very high temperature 
and a moist atmosphere are more conducive to luxuriant 
growth than to floriferousness ; we therefore never syringe or 
damp the house, and maintain a temperature ranging from 
55° to 60° by night and G0° to 65° in the daytime, with a 
further increase with sunshine and air. 
Plenty of room should be given, as I find that a few 
plants standing clear of each other yield more flowers than a 
greater number crowded together. Water is given carefully, 
especially during the dull winter days, when it is advisable to 
keep the plants slightly dry, or the growth will be too rapid 
and too soft to bloom properly. For the same reason liquid 
manure or a light top dressing of some kind of artificial 
manure should not be given till it is seen the plants are 
losing colour for want of some fertiliser, and even then it is 
preferable to apply it in a weak form. 
Selection of Varieties. —Much depends upon the choice of 
varieties. I can only recommend five or six, and though 
two of these may be improved upon, as far as numbers are 
concerned they are ample. The most noteworthy variety is 
Guillon Mangilli, this being, according to my experience, 
superior to and quite distinct from all other sorts. It forms 
sturdy branching growth, will yield great numbers of 
immense trusses of bright crimson flowers all the year round. 
It is equally as well adapted for small pots as for large ones, 
is good for summer work, and one of the best for the 
markets, but the trusses, pips, and colour are best on the 
plants grown in heat. We frequently cut trusses of it 
G inches in diameter, the semi-double pips being proportion¬ 
ately large. The nearest approaching to it in habit is Mrs. 
Arthur Lattrey, a charming light pink variety, and which is 
one of the best for winter forcing. The older Madame 
Thibaut is of a deeper pink colour, and the trusses are smaller 
and more globular. This also is good for small pot and 
greenhouse summer culture, and with a fair amount of sun¬ 
shine forces well. Madame A. Baltet was at one time relied 
upon for producing white flowers during the winter, and it 
has done us good service. It is, however, being supplanted 
by Candidissima plena, as we find this forces better, and the 
trusses of bloom, though smaller, are much whiter and less 
liable to become discoloured by sunshine. E. V. Raspail is 
the best scarlet we have, but this does not force particularly 
well, and I shall be glad if some of the readers of the Journal 
of Horticulture will recommend a good substitute. We had 
both this and Ludwig Eerchl particularly good during the late 
autumn and early winter months, and both are superior in 
every respect to the still popular Wonderful. Of flesh-coloured 
sorts I have grown Asa Gray and Louis Buchner, and am 
now inclined to give the preference to the former. Neither 
of them produces large trusses or grows so strongly as any of 
the above-mentioned sorts, but the colour finds favour and is 
wanted. 
To further demonstrate the value of this class of 
Pelargoniums I may mention that, for the adornment of 
churches and other purposes, we cut nearly a bushel of fine 
trusses in a house 20 feet long and 12 feet wide, and yet left 
hundreds of others in various stages of development. I find 
them of great service for packing, dinner-table decoration, 
No. 1860 —Vol. LXX., Old Series; 
