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.
•
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.
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