Geranium Blog

Blooming in October

This is not the usual blooming time of scented geraniums, but Celery and Snowy Nutmeg had a couple of flowers.

How To Grow Scented Geraniums

Pelargonium 'Clorinda' (forest scented)

Easy care is undoubtedly a factor in the scented geranium's popularity. Ranging from 1 to 3 feet tall, they are suitable for pots, planters, and hanging baskets. Here are the basics:

• Give full sun fall, winter and spring, but in summer, half-day sun is generally plenty.
• Water thoroughly and deeply when you water, but then allow the soil to dry to about 1" deep before watering again.
• Tender perennial. Bring inside or place in sheltered location when overnight temperatures drop below 32 degrees F.
• Use a good quality potting soil and provide excellent drainage.

Black Pepper Scented Geranium

Spicy Mexican Sage

Mexican Sage falls into the "apricot" group of scented geraniums. It is a large plant with billowing growth.

Micro Farm Update 1

The plants of the Micro Farm are getting larger. There have been a few ripe tomatoes, but somebody - either a mother grackle or a nibbling chihuahua - has been getting to them before me! Nice of my to lay out such a lovely buffet. I better start picking them sooner.

Roller's Satinique

Roller's Satinique is such a beauty. She is a persistant bloomer with coral flowers and velvety leaves. Roller's Satinique is a forest scented geranium.

Copthorne - A Bouquet Of Flowers

What a show! Copthorne has got to be one of the heaviest blooming scented geraniums. It keeps blooming for a long time, too.

Prince of Orange

Arucana Springs Into Action

Arucana is such an interesting scented geranium. It has smooth leathery leaves and really lacks that distinctive Pelargonium look. Until you get to the flowers, which are obviously Pelargonium. Arucana is a gardenia scented geranium. The scent is very light, but if you stick you head in the leaves on a hot summer day, you will get a whiff of gardenia. This is the first year I have found seed pods on Arucana - two of them!

Micro Farm

The micro farm is a 14" square pot with 3 miniature tomato plants called Micro Tom and 2 Medusa pepper plants. I will update you weekly with photos of the farm's progress. These two varieties are considered ornamentals or novelties, but I will be taste-testing Micro Tom. I can already report that Medusa peppers are sweet and crunchy. They look great in stir fry or salads, too.

More Lemon: Variegated Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert Variegated is a variation of P. crispum, the lemon scented geranium. It has small green leaves outlined in white. It is a bit slow-growing, but a reliable and vigorous bloomer. Look at the bottom of the picture. You an see that some of the flowers belong to P. crispum 'Minor', yet they look just alike. The flowers open pure white and then turn a soft pink.

Lemon With A Twist

P. crispum 'Minor' is named for its tiny little leaves. In spite of his delicate appearance, Minor has a strong constitution and is a reliable bloomer. This is the scented geranium sometimes called "Fingerbowl Lemon", the small leaves being floated in fingerbowls to add a refreshing lemon scent.