Geraniums — An Easy Friend in your Garden

The geranium plant that brightens your landscape with its brightly colored flowers may be one of two different species. If you successfully over-wintered your geranium, chances are it is an herbaceous perennial from the genus Geranium. However, most often the geraniums that delight us with their profuse blooms are from the genus Pelargonium, the annual.

The geranium, which originated in South Africa, made its entrance to the European continent in the 1600’s and has been propagated and hybridized ever since. Today the geranium is still among the most popular of the flowering plants. The geranium is a very adaptable flower that is suitable for beds and borders as well as hanging baskets and containers inside or outdoors! Because of the huge amount of family member of this plant there is one suitable for most any soil.

Because there are so many types of geranium, it’s difficult to choose which is the most popular type to add to your landscape.

• The common or zonal geranium is typically sold as a bedding plant. They are a compact plant, some having very decorative, distinctly marked two and three colored leaves.
   
• Ivy leaved geraniums are perfect for window boxes and hanging baskets. Although flower petals are narrower and the blossoms less dense than other cultivars, the ivy leaved geranium is an attractive vining plant that can grow up to three feet long.
   
• Scented geraniums are used for making tea, potpourris and sachets. They are deceptively sweet and carry the fragrances of lemon, apple, rose, nutmeg, and peppermint. Although the flowers are small and some might say insignificant, the scented geranium is a wonderful way to add fragrance to your patio, porch… or kitchen!
   
• The mosquito geranium is also a scented geranium. Even if you haven’t grown it, chances are you have smelled its insect repelling scent. The mosquito geranium was hybrid especially for production of oil of citronella and frequently is sold at nurseries as the mosquito plant.

Geranium flowers come in white and all shades of pink and red. Many hybrids have bi-colored flowers and some hybrids bear salmon colored flowers. Easy care, in addition to being a favorite addition to your garden, geraniums also make an inexpensive and lovely gift for Easter, Mother’s Day and other special spring occasions.

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