Geranium Blog

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.

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.

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.

Order Arrives From Tomato Growers Supply!

My first order of seeds arrived today and now I know Spring is right around the corner! [Tomato Growers Supply] I'm trying some new (to me) tomato varieties and an "old" favorite:

Sprite - Determinate, 60 days. Grape tomato on a small bush. The packet promises "no sacrifice in fruit quality, size, productivity, or flavor - just shorter plants for smaller gardens." I want to believe!

Martino's Roma - Determinate, 75 days. Pear shaped paste tomato "perfectly suuited to cooking, but delicious enough to eat fresh." These plants are promised to be compact and "extremely productive." Heirloom variety.

Juliet - Indeterminate, 80 days. I have grown Juliet for several years now and will never stop. Super grape!

Micro-Tom - Determinate, 85 days. "World's smallest tomato variety." Irresistible! Grows 5-8 inches tall in a 4 inch pot and produces "flavorful miniature tomatoes about the size of salad croutons."

Last year I grew only Juliet and Yellow Pear tomatoes. Both of those make a large vine and my Mom seemed to be overwhelmed by just one Yellow Pear, so I wanted to try some smaller varieties this year.

No big surprises with the peppers. I am trying a new variety of sweet banana peppers.

Sweet Spot X3R Hybrid - 70 days. "This high-yielding banana type pepper produces an incredible harvest of mild, sweet peppers about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide." Happy days!

Medusa - My favorite ornamental pepper. The little chilis it produces are not hot at all. Very sweet and edible.

Amaryllis Fun

I grew four varieties of amaryllis this winter. Somehow I missed getting a picture of Pink Surprise. It was extraordinarily beautiful, I promise you. Sorry you missed it.

Picotee is reputed to have a purple picotee edge on the flowers. What a bunch of malarkey! It has a light pink picotee edge and stands in nicely for a white amaryllis. I am still enthusiastic about Picotee. It is strong and tall and already producing babies.

The Pickin's

Who Gets the First Bite?

Hot Banana Peppers and Juliet Tomatoes

These peppers and tomatoes are container-grown. I always grow Banana Peppers, but this is the first time I have ever grown Hot Banana Peppers. I think we can safely say they are vigorous producers! The same goes for the Juliet Tomatoes. They are described on the tag as an oblong-shaped cherry variety. The two biggest ones are almost as big as a Roma Tomato!

Tiny Elvis dines on a hot banana pepper

Tiny Elvis is a desert tortoise who resides in our backyard. We are growing a variety of peppers and some collard greens especially for the tortoises. They also like grass, tomatoes, gaillardia, roses, scabiosa, squash, and zonal geraniums. Fortunately for me, they are not too interested in the scented geraniums - just an occasional bite now and then.