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-r- rr t p 12 economist suntribune thursday february 26 1998 misnamed geraniums should be planted now each year the national gar den bureau names a flower and a vegetable of the year this year 1998 is the year of the geranium or more correct ly pelargonium although usually treated as a garden annual the gerani um is actually a tender peren nial in warm climates it lives on in the garden from year to year while the true geranium called cranesbill is a hardy performer in our own perenni al gardens history the first geraniums pelargonium triste were brought to england from south africa by the famous plantsman john tradescant in the early 17th century other explorers brought back different species some with fragrant foliage plant enthusiasts began hybridizing these african pelargoniums and as early as 1732 references were made to px hortorum a cross between p inguinans and p zonale the garden geranium of today it wasnt until the end of the 18th century that pelargoni ums were given their own genus the victorian era saw a phe nomenal increase in varieties in a range of flower colours singles and doubles unusual flower shapes carnation rosebud tulip varied foliage ivyleaf trailing types azalea- flowered martha washington or regals and many varieties with fragrant foliage new varieties were hybridized from seed but if they were deemed worthwhile they were propagated from cuttings beginning in the 1950s richard craig of pennsylva nia state university began the task of making growing from seed a commercial option in 1966 the first fl hybrid geranium from seed was developed in 1968 the carefree series of three colours was offered for sale by the pan american seed company now that we have your interest i check out canadas truck leaders 1998 windstar the first minivan to earn 5 stars in frontend crash tests on a 98 t f m interest windstar gl jt fu 1jl compared to you could hp j if mb 87 save f m financing 1998 explorer canadas bestselling sport utility vehicle on a mm m tf a in interest 98 explorer t mk i ii m compared to 4drxltyou p j jloo 8v7 could save mwwmmm financing make your best deal and get 19 financing on all 1998 windstars and 1998 explorers hurry ends february 28th ford see your ontario ford mercury dealers mercury lets get growing marjorie mason hogue the first offerings were diploids produced from parents having two sets of identical chromo somes in 1991 freckles the first tetraploid having twice the chromosomes was bred by the pan american company growing tips growing from seed is now a reli able method for the commercial grower and the home gardener you must get seeds started by this week to have blooming by june the only seeds that will come true to variety are the fl hybrids which you purchase if a plant in your garden should set seed the resulting offspring may be very different from the parent jf you have a favourite plant you can propagate it by taking cuttings in late august or early september those that have been growing on your windowsills all winter may have cuttings taken now stickeach one in a threeinch pot of soilless mix and place it in a warm location but not in bright sun ie the top of the refrigera tor maintain high humidity with a plastic cover until roots begin to grow then move the new plant to a sunny windowsill or to a fluores cent setup for 12 to 14 hours of light a day new discoveries the most exciting new discovery concerning pelargoniums is the work being done at guelph uni versity by dr praveen saxena using lemonscented geraniums to remove large amounts of toxic heavy metals from contaminated soil yet another example of how a simple plant can heal us arid our polluted world be sure to visit the ontario geranium and pelargonium soci etys booth at canada blooms march 11 to 15 at the convention centre in toronto their next meeting is sunday april 19 at the civic garden centre 777 lawrence ave e in north york send your questions or com ments to lets get growing co this newspaper wise buyers mao tw legal cotft 19 financing on ill new inaodc 1998 ford wirxlstar and explorer modeb for a maximum of 48 rrwrrfa hsm77cctf of bedewing h 588 and total to be repaid hlm96 with w borrovriria b s96aoo compked to fimndr ntet of 87k for 43 rnoftthv om of bor to firur rjta of s7 for 48 morrfe cost of borrowtog is ssil 226kg5clrbasedonamputtarddc7ytoricme ontirio f moa po box 2000 oakvflle ontario lj se4 advertising correction in our storewide 2 stock up flyer included in last weeks newspaper on february 18 1998 please note page 2 eaton kid prewalk print mary jane will not be available in our storewide 3 remarkable value flyer included in this weeks newspaper on february 25 1998 please note front cover should read all offers valid until march 1 1998 unless otherwise specified back cover should read all sale offers and special buys good until march 1 1998 or while quantities last unless otherwise specified page 8 spice girl dolls will not be available until march 25 1998 orders will not be taken we sincerely apologize to our valued customers and regret any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused z- eatons