Plants for Busy People - Geraniums!
(Seasonal item)

There is one plant that meets the needs of gardeners who want low maintenance plants that bloom until frost, give lots of color, love the sun and requires little more than some Dr. Earth All Purpose Fertilizer and watering during the hot summer days. That plant is the zonal geranium, which has a darker ring on the foliage, a fully double blossom and it comes in all colors except true blue or black. The Americana varieties of zonal geraniums are the tallest growing and the Tango varieties are shorter and more compact.

Included in this family of plants are the scented geraniums whose foliage gives a nice fragrance to the garden and are available in chocolate mint, staghorn rose, old spice, ginger, peppermind, pineapple and more.
The fancy-leaved or novelty geraniums bring out the rich leaf colors and wonderful floral textures. Used often as an accent plant in containers because the foliage is generally variegated. The Persian Queen fancy geranium is totally lime colored and a real standout in the garden. The blooms are usually smaller but add to the total impact and are easy to grow, thriving in hot sun and dry soils.

Ivy geraniums have a trailing growth habit and are used in containers, baskets, or as an annual groundcover planting. Martha Washington geraniums are the elite group of geraniums that prefer a strong morning sun, and afternoon shade. They have very beautiful vibrant blooms that are more single in form with darker centers.

Geraniums are definitely Swansons most popular summer annual, a tried and true favorite. Outdoors, they are used as annual bedding plants, in hanging baskets, in pots and in window boxes. Indoors, they are cultured as houseplants in sunny locations. We carry the best quality and varietal selection of geraniums at Swansons, choose from: zonal, regal, ivy-leafed, fancy-leafed and scented varieties.

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• Zonal Geraniums – Pelargonium x hortorum is the common geranium. They are compact in habit and often have fancy leaves marked by distinct bands of darker pigments, tri-colored leaves or leaves with silver or white markings. Flowers may be single or double, are clustered into heads, and may range from red, pink, salmon, and white.

• Scented-Leafed Geraniums – These Pelargonium varieties delight with fragrances smelling like rose, lemon, nutmeg, apple and peppermint, just to name a few. They also have a wide range of foliage types that can be used for making potpourris, sachets, and tea flavorings. Scented geraniums make excellent houseplants, and many have soft, finely textured visually pleasing foliage and small blossoms.

• Martha Washington Geranium – Pelargonium x domesticum is also known as a “Regal Geranium.” They have large azalea-like flowers with dramatic colors and patterns- some are so dark as to appear black. This is where you’ll find truly purple flowers among geraniums types.

• Ivy-Leafed Geraniums – Pelargonium peltatum is the ivy-leaved geranium. It has a vine-like growth habit with smooth, leathery leaves and flowers with narrower petals and less dense flower heads. It is commonly used in window boxes and is quite attractive in hanging baskets.