February 2, 1907 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Pras—lf the weather is satisfactory 
and moist and the ground in a good con- 
dition and not over dry, a few rows may 
be tried puring the month. 
Pumakin—Seeds may be sown if more 
plants are required. 
Ravisy A little seed may be sown. 
Spinach—Sow a little seed. 
* Towato—Fruit should be ripe or ripe- 
hing ulmost everywhere. All diseased 
fruit should be removed from the plants 
and burnt. Seed may be sown if tate 
planys are rebuired. 
Turnrp—Snow a little seed from time 
to time. 
Pelargonium. 
Pelargoninm is a family of plants con- 
sisting of annual, biennial, herbaceous, 
and shrubby species, which, with t e 
exception of a few unimportant kinds, are 
Natives of Cape of Good Hope. The 
Original species are rarely cultivated now, 
except in botanical collections, although 
Several are beautiful in their foliage and 
flowers. What are known as florists’ pela- 
foniums are hybrids from various species, 
but, except the zonals, derived from ‘ P. 
Zonale,” a species introduced into England 
In 1710, and the ivy-leaved, from “ P. 
lateripes, introduced in 1787, the parent- 
ge of the thu present-day kinds is 
Uncertain, The types of cultivated pelar- 
oniums are: Zonal, commonly but 
Wrongly called geraniums; show; regal 
or decorative: fancy; and ivy-leaved or 
climbing varities. “There are also hybrids 
from various species not generally grown, 
and variegated leaved zonals, 
The popularity of pelargoniums is not 
48 great as twenty years ago, when the 
various horticultural societies catered 
Specially for growers of these plants, but 
4 distinct revival has occured in the last 
©w years, especially in the zonal class. A 
ew kinds of this class were always popu- 
ar on account of their bright colouring, 
®asy culture, and hardiness, and of late 
Many fine new kinds, that are a marked 
Advance in size of flower and truss, and of 
Much greater range of colour. have been 
Taised and distributed.. In a climate free 
IRIs, SUSIAN A. 
FINE HEALTHY PLANTS OF THIS 
HANDSOME MARDY IRIS, 4s. each. 
E. & W. HACKETT, — 
Seedsmen, Nurserymen, &c., 
from severe frosts they grow into large 
bushes quickly, and are scarcely ever de- 
void of bright effective flowers. They are 
also specially suited for pot culture, and 
will flower freely during the greater part 
of the year, Tho variegated varieties are 
more suitable for pot plants than the open 
garden. The show and decorative varieties 
are the most popular as pot plants, and 
some beautiful specimens are occasionally 
seen at horticultural exhibitions. They 
are also worthy of much more extended 
culture in the open borders, where, when 
properly treated, they rival azaleas and 
other popular plants in their wealth of 
bloom. The show varieties are hardier 
and neater in habit of growth than the 
regals, :nd, though smaller in the trusses 
and plainer in type of flower, are more 
floriferous. The regals at their best are 
splendid flowering plants, but are not 
often seen to advantage in the open 
garden. The trusses and individual 
flowers are larger than the show kinds, 
and the petals are frilled and of much 
greater substance. Fancy, or “ladies’,” 
pelargoniums area smaller growing type, 
producing neat trusses of bloom. They 
were very popular at one time, but are 
now rarely seen, except in nursery collec- 
tions. A much more generally grown 
class are ivy-leaved or climbing varieties, 
some of which are among the most effec- 
tive and rapid growing of climbing plants 
These are specially useful for covering 
unsightly places in the garden, but one 
drawback to their general value is their 
liability to become a harbor for snails. 
CULTURE. 
Delarganiums of al classes require 
sweet, well-drained soil, whether cultivated 
in pots, boxes, or open ground. They 
will endure a deal of drought without 
suffering greatly, but will not thrive if 
planted in sour, wet soil. The most gsui- 
table soil is a fibrous loam with sharp 
sand added for pot culture. Well-rotted 
horse or cow manure should be added to 
potting soil, but except in. the poorest of 
soils no manure is necessary for open 
ground culture, especial y in the case of 
the regal varieties ine specimens. are 
occasionally to be seen growing in poor 
sandy soil, flowering splendidly in season ; 
but when heavily manured, and liberally 
watered in summer, gross growth is pro-. 
« 
cuttings. 
73 Rundle Street, Adelaide. 
Telephone 350 
duced at the expens> of bloom. Plant 
may be set out from pots at any time in 
the growing season, early autumn being 
the most suitable. This is also the best 
time to transfer plants to different stations 
in the open ground. 
Pinching the point out of the leading 
shoots is all the pruning needed to shape 
young plants, causing them to break into 
lateral growth. Plants may be retarded in 
their time of floworing, and also furnished 
into wellshaped specimens if thin and 
leggy, by pinching the points of the grow- 
ing shoots in spring. After the flowering 
period, pot-grown plants should be placed 
in full sunlight, and water used sparingly, 
to ripen the growth. These growths 
should be thinned out and pruned back, 
leaving 2 or 3 inches of the shoot. To 
make nice specimens for the following 
season, shoots of equal size and at equal 
angles from the main stem should be 
retained, if possible. Inthe open ground 
the same treatment should be followed as 
far as practicable, In the case of zonals 
very little pruning is neoded. An oc- 
casional thinning when the plants are 
becoming crowded, and pinching the top 
of an extra vigorous shoot, will keep the- 
> plant in shape. 
‘Pelargoniums are propagated from cut- 
tings of the ripened shoots, inserted at 
the pruning time. The cuttings should 
be about 3 or4 inches in length, the bot- 
tom leaves removed, and the shoot cut 
cleanly across with a sharp knife closse 
below a joint. They may be inserted iu 
pots, boxes, or the open ground. A sweet 
soil without any fermenting material is 
most suitable: sand placed at the base of 
the cuttings improves the ordinary chance 
of rooting. No manure whatever should 
be allowed near the base of cuttings of 
any plants. The cuttings when rooted 
may be potted and grown on for a time,. 
or may be placed at once in the position 
- solected for them. Cuttings of zonals may 
‘be inssrted at alinost any season. Grass 
sappy shoots shculd not be selected for 
New varieties are raised: from 
seed which is easily saved, and plants 
can be raised without much trouble. If 
good varieties are inter-crossed fair results 
may be expected. 
