The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Window Gardener

Plants For Window Gardening, Continued

THE GERANIUM. THE PELARGONIUM : History.—Culture. — Soil. — Potting. — Winter Treatment. — Varieties. THE VERBENA: History.— Culture. — Cuttings. — Summer Culture. — Potting for Winter. — Watering.— Soil.— Seedlings. — Properties of a good Verbena. — Window Culture. — Varieties. THE HELIOTROPE : History. — Culture. — Pruning.— Varieties. THE SAL VIA, OR MEXICAN SAGE : Summer Culture. —Winter Culture. — Varieties. THE TROP^EOLUM, OR NASTURTIUM: Varieties. —Soil. —Culture. —Varieties of the small Nasturtium.—Win- dow Culture.

THE GERANIUM.

UNDER this head, we propose to treat of the plants usually known, in common parlance, as Geraniums, including both those horticulturally and botanically known as such, and Pelargoniums. Between these there are many minute and fanciful distinctions, which are only interesting to botanists, and need not concern the amateur. The true geraniums are herbaceous. For window gardening, their treatment must be the same.

For the pelargoniums, we are chiefly indebted to the Cape of Good Hope; the geranium is found, in some of its varieties, in Asia, Europe, and America; two of the family, our " wild geraniums," being familiar to us all as among the wild flowers of spring.

The scarlet, or horse-shoe geranium, so called from the color of its flowers, and the dark marking of its leaves, is a very common and popular window plant. The rose, oak, and nutmeg geraniums are commonly grown for their fragrant leaves, and for their hardiness, as they can endure more hard usage than most plants.

The general fault in geranium culture is, crowding. The plants need light and air on all sides, and unless this is afforded they soon become one-sided, long-drawn, and straggling, with but few leaves, and these in a tuft at the end. The blossoms are small and few, and the whole plant presents a picture of vegetation under difficulties..