Geraniums are the foundation of the summer garden and offer continuous color in beds or containers from late April until fall. These low-maintenance sun-lovers are actually members of the Pelargonium family (genuine geraniums are a separate group of perennial plants), and they come in an almost infinite variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Here are some things to check for at your neighborhood garden center.
Zonal geraniums are probably already something you’re familiar with. The name “zonal” comes from the dark, zone-like patterns of bronze, purple, or dark green that are present on the surface of the leaves and that become darker as the foliage matures. Zonal geraniums are the most popular kind. The upright-standing zonal geraniums are available in a range of hues, including white, red, crimson, burgundy, peach, salmon, and bi-color. The hardy, sturdy plants known as zonal geraniums prefer a little bit of dryness. Your plants may suffer in hot, humid weather. You must remove the flower heads as they wilt in order to preserve them in prime condition.
Avoid buying zonal geraniums with yellow foliage or any that have lost their lower leaves, according to purchasing advice.
Variegated geraniums are prized for both their vividly colored leaves and their vibrant flowers, and they look beautiful in containers both by themselves and when combined with other annual bloomers. Variegated forms of zonal geranium have an upright structure and can reach heights of two to three feet. Even when they are not in bloom, these plants are gorgeous. The majority have tricolor or bicolor leaves. The following are some traditional variegated options to look for:
Shopping advice: Look for short, stocky plants when buying variegated geraniums. Avoid plants that are tall and lanky or that have a lot of crinkly, dried-out leaves at the base of the plant. Don’t be concerned if you don’t see as many blooms on the plants in the store or in your yard because most variegated-leaf geraniums don’t bloom as lavishly as their cousins.
It might be challenging for a novice gardener to distinguish between a zonal and seed geranium. In spite of the fact that they resemble each other quite a bit, seed geraniums can usually be distinguished by their method of sale. Although seed geraniums are typically sold in bigger groups or flats and are less expensive than zonal geraniums, zonal geraniums are typically sold in individual pots. Heavy bloomers, seed geraniums are the best choice if you want to cover a whole bed or landscaping with plants. These low-maintenance annuals produce single flowers in a variety of hues and are often shorter and more compact than zonals.
Shopping advice: Look for stocky plants with brilliant green leaves when buying seed geraniums. Severely desiccated plants with shriveled leaves and stems should be avoided.
For hanging baskets, window boxes, or tall, vertical pots where the plants’ attractive foliage can trail over the edge like a waterfall of blooms, ivy geraniums are unbeatable. The term “ivy geranium” refers to the plant’s trailing habit and ivy-like leaves. Ivy geraniums grow swiftly once they are established and can spread several feet in any direction. Ivy geraniums come in a variety of sizes; smaller, denser versions are sometimes referred to as balcony geraniums. Red, pink, white, salmon, burgundy, lavender, and bi-color are among the available hues. Remove the flowers when they wilt and feed your plants every few weeks with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer to keep them blooming consistently.
Ivy geranium shopping advice: Look for compact, thick plants with lots of bloom buds.
Don’t be intimidated by this geranium group’s intimidating moniker. The offspring of upright zonal geraniums crossed with several types of common ivy are simply known as interspecific hybrid geraniums. The outcome is a plant with the best qualities of both parents: continuous flowering, a dense mounded or somewhat trailing habit, and resistance to heat and drought. The interspecific geranium species Calliope and Caliente are both well-known.
Shopping advice: When looking for these gorgeous plants, seek for foliage that is lush and dark and that is crowned with showy flowers in hues like red, coral, pink, lavender, and orange.
To experience a scented geranium leaf’s strong fragrance, just lightly brush or rub it. There is a wide variety of smells and leaf forms available in scented geraniums. Lemon, lime, rose, orange, mint, and cedar are among the common fragrances of geraniums. Sadly, the claims that one type, “Cintronella,” may keep mosquitoes away are unfounded. Throughout the summer, scented geraniums produce tiny pink or white flowers.
Shopping advice: Before making a purchase of fragrant geraniums, read the plant label. Choose plants that will match your space because some species stay small and compact while others can reach heights and widths of 3 feet. Additionally, before buying, massage the leaves to make sure you like the aroma.
Because Martha Washington geraniums’ jewel-like blossoms are so eye-catching, you may frequently find the plants in florist stores in addition to your neighborhood garden center. These elegant plants, sometimes known as regal geraniums, produce a canopy of flowers that are bi-colored pink, lavender, white, and burgundy. The Martha Washington kinds of geranium prefer colder, wetter climes rather than bright, sunny weather. It might be challenging to get the plants to bloom again once the initial batch of blossoms fade. Although they make wonderful gifts, their performance in the garden may not last long.
Shopping advice: When buying Martha Washington geraniums, consider plants that are just beginning to bloom and look for vibrant green leaves. Steer clear of plants with blossoms that are already fading.
Is there a geranium on the trail?
With its lengthy bloom season and abundance of vibrant flowers, trailing geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum) are a favorite of summer gardeners. This geranium variety can thrive with little care and effortlessly fill a hanging basket or cascade over a raised planter.
How can geraniums be kept from trailing?
Large, lovely blossoms on a trailing geranium that I keep in a hanging basket. If at all possible, I want to keep this through the winter. What should I do to keep it going all winter? I always buy a new one the following year if it breaks, but this one is so lovely that I would rather to preserve it.
Answer:
Geraniums are one of the plants that can frequently be transported safely through the winter, but the trailing kind is trickier to transport than the more succulent varieties, which have thick stems filled with moisture.
When there is a chance of frost, move it inside (or into the garage) for the time being. Once the day warms up, move it back to a bright area. This will preserve it for as long as possible in the optimum condition. If it has healthy food reserves in its stems and roots, it will have a higher chance of surviving when you finally need to move it indoors. It is currently storing food, and based on how effectively you described its flowering, it is in an environment that is assisting in its growth and the storage of those food reserves.
You might need to keep it indoors more as the temperature drops. The optimum indoor place for it will be a cool room that receives light from the south or east (40 to 60 degrees at night). To disperse the light and slightly lessen its intensity, hang sheer drapes in the window. To help your plant preserve its food stores, keep the room as cool as you can during the day and allow it to get rather cool at night (as low as 40 degrees). The stored food is used more quickly in warm weather. Additionally, keep an eye out for insect attacks. The natural predators that help manage hazardous insects when your plants are outside are absent from the indoor environment. Early problem detection will allow you to take corrective action and keep your plants healthy. By placing the plant in the bathtub or sink and gently washing the insects off the plant with a stream of water, many insects and harmful arthropods (spider mites and aphids) can be controlled. Other pests might need to be eliminated manually with a cotton swab dipped in horticultural oil or insecticidal soaps, which are best used in the bathtub.
You can replant the geranium outdoors in the winter on warm days in a well-lit yet shaded area. The leaves will burn if exposed to direct sunlight after being indoors under low light. Make sure to keep a close eye on the plant to prevent drying out. It will utilize water more quickly on warm winter days than on cool indoor days. You can give the geranium a fertilizer for flowering houseplants along with some irrigations if it keeps growing and otherwise shows signs of good health (leaf color, flower production). This will help the plant stay healthy and enhance the amount of food that can be stored. However, fertilizer can make the plant worse if it appears to become dormant, stops flowering, or grows slowly. In that case, give it nothing but water and, if feasible, make sure it gets more light throughout the day or lower the temperature by placing it in a cooler place.
Remove the plant from the pot in the spring as growth picks up and you get ready to put it back in its outdoor home. Then, gently tease or wash the soil from the roots before adding fresh potting soil.
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Geraniums can they climb?
Because they grow taller than any other kind in existence, Antik Geraniums are special. Since they grow so quickly, they are frequently referred to as “The Climbing Geranium,” growing up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall in just one season.
Watch them grow when you plant three of the same color in a pot with a 25–30 cm diameter! They may overwinter in a frost-free conservatory, porch, or garage as well, and in succeeding years they will grow to about 1.5M.
Each collection includes three sizable rooted plugs of:
They are quite uncommon and frequently absent from garden centers since they outgrow the little pots they frequently sell so rapidly. Although they will give the utmost height to your patio arrangements, they will also make a wonderfully interesting focal point when planted in the middle of a bed or border display.
Do perennial geraniums trail?
Ivy leaf geraniums, which grow quickly and have vivid colors, are the star of any hanging basket design.
Pelargonium peltatum, a member of the Geraniaceae family, is sometimes referred to as an ivy leaf, trailing, or cascading geranium.
P. peltatum, a cool-climate-adapted perennial herb native to South Africa, was imported to Holland and England by 1704. Only Zones 9–11 are they winter hardy, but due to their quick growth and simple multiplication, they were rapidly utilized as an annual, and they still are.
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Plants with prodigious growth patterns can spread dramatically to a height of up to six feet, and they bloom all summer long in cascades of bright color.
Some species of this plant have variegated foliage with flowers that bloom in colours of apricot, burgundy, lavender, orange, pink, purple, red, and white. The five-lobed, bright green leaves are similar in shape to those of ivy.
They are an eye-catching addition to Mediterranean gardens, beds and borders, window boxes, hanging baskets, planters, and containers. In hotter climates, they can even be used as a ground cover.
When compared to zonal variants, the inflorescence, or umbel-shaped clusters of flower heads, are looser in shape and density.
Greek pelargos, meaning stork, is the origin of the word pelargonium. Additionally, the set fruit has a stork-like appearance, just like its near relatives the garden geranium and the cranesbill geranium.
What kind of plant are trailing geraniums?
In this nation, there are now more than 75 different commercial varieties of trailing geranium ivy that may be grown at home. Ivy leaf geranium varieties differ from one another in terms of habit as well as flower and foliage color.
Some examples resemble shrubs, while others spread and provide a lovely ground cover for a location with dappled sunlight. Most are excellent specimens for container plantings, and several have mounding behaviors.
Semi-double Ivy Leaf Geranium blooms range in color from white to red, with the majority of hues being pastels with the exception of blue and yellow. Ivy geranium care does not require deadheading because flowers “self-clean.”
Can trailing geraniums be made to climb?
Ivy geranium is perfect for a hanging basket because of its beautiful, trailing habit.
Ivy geraniums with red and white blossoms are stunning pot plants. Images: PollyDot
The 5-lobed leaves that covers the long, thin stems of this ivy leaf geranium is attractive in and of itself notwithstanding the clusters of attractive flowers it bears.
If you like, you can teach the stems to climb. Geraniums that climb look stunning on a trellis that is fitted into the pot.
Ivy Geranium Varieties
A wide range of new types are available. Ivy geraniums come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, lavender, purple, orange, salmon, red, and burgundy. Many more recent varieties have semidouble or double blooms instead of the traditional single, 5-petaled blossoms. Some have patterns and are bicolored.
Geranium hanging basket plants are available for purchase in the spring and summer. If you want to be sure you’re getting this ivy leaf geranium, look for Pelargonium peltatum. Galilee has rose-pink blooms and variegated leaves. Popular cultivar “L’Elegante” has leaves with pink and creamy white edges. The flowers of ‘Rouletta’ are red and white. Double flowers of ‘Mauve Beauty’ resemble little rose blossoms.
Pruning Geraniums After Winter Dormancy
The optimum time to prune geraniums is in the early spring if you put them into dormancy for the winter or if you live in a region where they lose some of their leaves over the winter.
Take off all of the geranium’s brown and dead leaves. After that, remove any diseased stems. Squeezing a healthy geranium stem will feel firm. Cut down the geranium plant by one-third, paying particular attention to stems that have begun to turn woody if you want a less woody and lanky plant.
Cutting Back Geraniums That are Wintered Alive
The best time to prune geraniums is in late fall or right before you bring them inside, if you intend to bring them indoors. If you do not put your geraniums into dormancy for the winter and they remain green in the ground or in containers year round.
Trim the geranium plant back by one-third to one-half, paying special attention to lanky or woody stems.
How to Pinch Geraniums
In order to make the plant grow more bushy and compact, geraniums are sometimes pruned. You can pinch either newly purchased bedding geranium plants or geraniums that have been overwintered. Pinching of geraniums begins in the spring.
When a stem on a geranium plant reaches a few inches (7.5–10 cm), cut off 1/4–1/2 inch (0.5–1.5 cm) of the stem with a sharp pair of scissors, or even with your fingers. Repeat over all stems. The geranium will be forced to produce two new stems off of the original stem as a result, which will result in a bushier, fuller plant. If you prefer, you can keep pinching geraniums all throughout spring.
Geranium pruning is simple and improves the appearance of your plant. You may enjoy your geraniums more now that you know how to prune geranium plants.