GENERAL INFORMATION 3 
Sizes Available 
All varieties are available as strong, well rooted plants 
from 24-inch pots. This size is the best for shipping, 
and will give better results in the long run than either 
smaller or larger plants. I do not sell seeds or cuttings. 
Cultural Notes 
Geraniums are known and grown so widely that it is 
scarcely necessary to give general cultural information, 
but perhaps a few suggestions about special points will 
be helpful. 
Geraniums will thrive outdoors in any garden soil in 
which the common annual and perennial plants will grow. 
They will do wonderfully well with a minimum of care, 
but like other plants, they respond to good care with 
larger and finer flowers. In summer, the flowers will be 
a little finer if the plants receive some shade during the 
hottest part of the day. They are not satisfactory in full 
shade. They stand a little frost, but are severely damaged 
or killed if exposed to temperatures below 26°F. 
Frequently geraniums will make a good showing in a 
situation which is difficult for most flowers, such as 
under an acacia or pepper tree, or near a privet hedge. 
Geraniums in pots do best if the pots are very small for 
the size of the plants. Geraniums are naturally fairly 
large plants, actually small shrubs, and if they have 
root room will tend to grow in size without producing 
many flowers. They will stay smaller and flower much 
more freely if kept potbound. A pot larger than the 
4-inch size is rarely desirable indoors. Larger ones may 
be used on porches .or terraces, if the plant is large 
enough for the pot. Never put a small plant in a large 
pot, but change sizes by stages as the plant grows. 
An ideal potting soil for geraniums should be of a tex- 
ture to give good drainage and aeration, but of suffi- 
cient body to allow firm potting, slightly acid (about 
pH 6.0-6.5), and not very rich. Geranium roots need 
air as well as water, and will not thrive in soil that is 
constantly soggy wet. Soil that is too rich produces 
soft, leggy stems, lots of large leaves, and few flowers. 
If the soil is too poor for good growth, it is easy to 
add fertilizer when the need is apparent, but if the soil 
is too rich to start with there is not much that can be 
done to correct the condition, so that it is better to start 
with a mixture that is not very fertile. 
An exact formula for a potting soil mixture does not 
have much meaning, because of the differences in kinds 
and qualities of ingredients available in different locali- 
ties. Fortunately the mixture is not critical. In general, 
it will consist of loam, sand, and organic matter. The 
loam may be any good garden soil, although clay loam 
is probably best. The sand and organic matter are 
added to improve the drainage and aeration. Coarse 
materials are better than fine ones. Peat moss is prob- 
ably the most uniform and readily available organic 
matter. Well rotted manure is excellent if it can be 
obtained so well rotted and leached that it does not 
make the soil too rich, but such manure is difficult to 
get any more. Fresh manures and prepared dried 
manures are only safe in very small amounts, if at all. 
Leaf mold and compost can also be used for organic 
