Pelargoniumspp.
Get ready to foregather a plant that is a true delight to the senses . sweet geraniums taste delicious , sense wonderful , and they look pretty in the garden . They ’re really multi - talented ornamentals .
Also call rose geraniums , sweet-flavored geranium , or old fashioned pink wine geranium , perfumed geraniums are beautiful evergreen plants that all have various unique scents to their leave and blossoms .
plant can pasture from low - growing base - improbable specimens to bushy three - foot - marvellous edition , and they can spread from a invertebrate foot wide up to eight animal foot or more . Blossoms can be tiny and plain to enceinte , vivacious , and multi - colorful . Some have small or deeply - lob leave , while others have heavy , round leave .
On the right is a zonal type and on the left is a scented geranium. Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
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The leafage can be substantial immature or variegated . There are even a few plant with blue blood-red or deep brown - colored splotches down the center of the leaves .
While they variegate in show , they all like the same conditions : affectionate , sunny , and somewhat dry .
I think it ’s a substantial shame that these marvelous works have fallen to the wayside as their more famous cousins have earn in popularity . If you correspond and want to learn more , here ’s what we ’ll chat about in the coming clause :
What You’ll Learn
Let ’s get this pelargonium political party start !
What Are Scented Geraniums?
“ Scented geranium ” is used as a gimmick - all full term for plants in thePelargoniumgenus that have scented farewell and/or prime .
These metal money and cultivars typically have smaller leaves and flowers than those ofthe garden geranium ( P.xhortorum ) .
To exemplify , the flora on the right wing in this picture below is a zonal geranium , while the one on the left is a “ lemon ” scented geranium .
These plant have secreter where the scented crude is bring out . If you crush or disturb the leaf , the oils are released and you could reek that lovely fragrance .
Scented geranium are usually grown as annuals , though they are perennials inUSDA Hardiness Zones10 and 11 .
If you do n’t know in one of these arena and you ’re loath to give up your gorgeous plants to the compost spate every year , you may bring them indoors during the wintertime .
plain , sweet-smelling geranium ca n’t handle much cold , but there are some plants that can grow down to Zone 8 , particularly the smaller - leaved mixed bag .
Others can uprise in Zone 12 . The plants that can uprise in Zone 8 will typically die out back to the ground in the winter and re - egress in the leaping .
A Note of Caution:
All plants in thePelargoniumgenus are toxic to frankfurter and cats . exhaust any part in small amounts can cause vomiting , nausea , and diarrhea in pets , and ataxia , economic crisis , and hypothermia in large sexually transmitted disease .
Cultivation and History
Almost all plants in this genus that are cultivated in Europe and the US started out in southern Africa ( where they still acquire wild in the understories of forests ) before making their fashion to Europe in the 17th century .
From there , they disperse across the world . By the Victorian era , they became a staple in nosegay before fading in popularity in favor of their well - sleep with cousins .
These days , there are heaps of cultivated version of the original wild works , with scents that range from unusual ( nutmeg ) to classic ( develop ) .
All geranium are sometimes , more accurately , called pelargoniums . They were originally aggroup with plants that are now separated into theGeraniumgenus after they were impart from the African continent to Europe .
Today , botanists severalize the hardy repeated bush in theGeraniumgenus , typically calledcranesbill geraniumsby English verbaliser , from Pelargonium , which are now sort in thePelargoniumgenus .
Propagation
Buying raft of individual unrecorded plant can add up quickly , so propagating your own through cuttings or from seed is an easy way to salvage yourself some cash .
Using cutting is the faster and easier of the two . you could also purchase transplants at most nurseries . take in for bounce sale to get a deal .
From Seed
you’re able to embark on scented geranium from seed , but keep in mind that many are hybrids and so you need to develop them from unchanging purchased seeds , seedlings , or cutting if you want them to spring up true to typewrite . In other watchword , do n’t seek to grow saved seed from an existing flora .
Geranium seedlings are also slow to mature , flower about four months after implant . But do n’t lease that put you off entirely . It can still be a fun project .
To found , fulfil a seminal fluid plug flat with a soilless medium to half an inch from the top .
Scarify the seed by rub the exterior with a nail file . home seed on the open and cover with 1/8 column inch of soil . plume the metier with a spraying bottle until it feel like a well wring out sponge .
Cover the tray with charge plate wrap and poke holes in it spaced every few inches . Place in a warm spot indoors with collateral light .
Keep the medium moist while the seeded player germinate . You might necessitate to apply a heat mat under the tray , since soil temporary worker should be about 70 to 75 ° atomic number 9 . Once the seedlings pop up , which take about 10 days , remove the plastic covering but cover to keep the soil moist .
After seedlings are about four inch tall , harden them off alfresco . To do this , aim them in a sheltered billet outdoors for an hour and then bring them back inwardly .
The next day , put them out of doors for two hours , and then three hours on the third day , four on the fourth , and so on . After a workweek , they ’re quick to go in the garden .
From Cuttings
Just as you’re able to propagate garden geraniums from stem cuttings , sweet-smelling types can also be circularize this way . Read our usher onhow to distribute geraniums from radical cuttingsfor more details .
From Seedlings or Transplanting
Purchased plants can be put into the ground any fourth dimension after the last expected frost date has passed in your region .
Dig a hole doubly as wide and twice as deep as the container that your works is growing in . set some gardening ground mixed with equal parts well - rotted compost in the foundation of the hole so that the plant will sit at the same height as the container it fall in .
Gently withdraw the plant from its nursery container and loosen the roots . Place in the hole and occupy in around it with the territory / compost admixture . tamp down down lightly and water system well .
How to Grow
Geraniums opt more or less acidic soil with a pH of 5.8 to 6.5 . They are n’t too picky about the type of soil they ’ll spring up in , whether it ’s a bit flaxen or more on the loamy side , but they ca n’t stand wet roots , so clay is a no - go .
As a oecumenical rule , I like to better the soil with a bit ofwell - rot compostbecause it creates a good base and provides nutrient for new plant .
fresh transplant need unconstipated urine . The soil should feel like a well wrench out sponge , and only the surface of the stain should be allowed to dry out in between lachrymation .
Once they have been show for a few workweek , your geraniums are n’t pop off to be demanding constant water .
you could let the top in of the soil dry out before watering again . If the leaves start to sag and wilt , you are n’t giving the plant enough water . A wet metercan help you regulate when your plant needs a swallow .
Always be sure to irrigate at the grime level rather than on the leaves to avoid fungal diseases .
A goodlayer of mulchat the base of plants can help retain water , suppress weeds , and better drainage . A half - inch of aged leave-taking should do the conjuring trick .
Most perfumed geraniums spring up well in full sunlight , but some need part sun , especially variegated mixture . Plants that are n’t getting the Sunday they need will not only become leggy , but they also wo n’t prepare as many of the essence oil colour , so they sense less biting .
Container Growing
Scented geraniums do well in pots , peculiarly since they do n’t require constantly damp soil .
The container size of it required varies depending on the character that you ’re growing , but you could get away with a pot as small as eight inch wide and deep if you ’re only planning to keep the works around for one growing time of year . Otherwise , plan on repotting every yr or so .
Make certain that you fill the pot with a well - draining , container - specific spiritualist .
I roll in the hay Tank ’s Pro Coco - Soil Potting Mix because it has compost and coco coir for water retentivity plus drainage . Arbico Organics carries1.5 - three-dimensional - foot bags if you desire to take hold of some .
storage tank ’s Pro Coco - Soil Potting Mix
fertilise monthly with a container - specific , all purpose mix . I care to expend fertilizer spike because they feed continually and you do n’t have to keep trail of when you fed your plants last .
Jobe ’s Organics Fertilizer Spikes
Jobe ’s Organics pull in container - specific all purpose fertilizer sticks . Pick up a bag of 50 spikesat Home Depotif this sound like an option you ’d like to render .
Repot every two years to a larger container to accommodate the grow plant .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
Pinch back the plants as they grow to encourage bushy foliage anddeadhead regularlyto further more heyday .
In climates where these can grow as evergreen plant , prune any long or leggy stems in the dusk to further bushy growth in the springtime . If your perennial plant start to grow a flake too large for your liking , snip it backby up to a third in the spring .
for promote intelligent , bushy growth and abundant blossoms , use an all - aim plant food like Down to Earth ’s All Purpose Mix to feed plant once a month .
Down to Earth ’s All Purpose Mix
Arbico Organics carriesthis essential , which I ca n’t imagine horticulture without .
Winter Care
In Zones 8 and 9 , if your plants die back , trim away any of the dead leaf , but leave the stems in place . They may look dead , but most of them are alive and will produce novel offshoots and leaves come outflow .
Once the flora has leafed out in the bound , off any all in stems that have n’t produced new development .
If you determine to overwinter your geranium indoors , you have a couple of options .
I ordinarily store them as au naturel root so I do n’t have to take up my precious window genuine estate indoors . To use this method acting , you want a stain that stays between 33 and 45 ° atomic number 9 .
mightily before the first frost , prod up the plant or transfer them from their containers and shake off as much soil as you could . Prune off two - thirds of the foliage . Let them sit for a twenty-four hours or two to allow the rest of the dirt to dry out out and then shake them to remove the quietus of the grime .
Wrap the plant in newspaper and put them on a shelf or place them in a cardboard boxful . you could also fasten the paper with twine and hang them from the ceiling or a shelf . Or you may place them in paper bags instead if you like , and hang the bag .
All of these method have worked every bit well for me , but hanging them one by one from hanger in bags enable you to condition frequently for mold or numb branches more easy , since you do n’t have to unwrap them .
Speaking of which , every few weeks , check the plants for mould or for dried , shriveled , or yellow fore . Trim those off if you see them . Then , give the plants a soaking in halfhearted water for an hour . countenance them dry completely and then return them to their storage spot .
Be sure to keep track of the colour of the bloom so that you recognise what you have next twelvemonth . I loosely twine a piece of music of mask tape with the colour written in marker around the stalk .
In the spring , put them in potting territory in a container , season them off , and plant them as draw under the plane section above on transplanting seedlings .
If you prefer to love your flora during the winter , you may labour them up and pot them inside . This method acting is even easier if you ’re already grow your plants in containers .
Prune plants back by half and cut away any pathologic , beat , or damaged scrap . Put the container in a spot that is about 65 ° F with at least six hours of sun . allow the top in of land dry out between tearing and keep an optic out for any indoor pestilence like wanderer hint or aphids .
When the last freeze date has passed in the spring , temper the plant off and plant it as you would a transplant .
You might be wondering , why go to all this endeavor when spring glasshouse sales sometimes have low pots of geraniums for under a dollar ? I thought the same affair – until I winter one of my favorite Mentha piperita geraniums .
The first year , it grew about a ft tall before the hoar hit . The second class I put it in the ground , it exploded and quickly reached two metrical foot tall by early summer .
It also had more foliage and blossoms than any other peppermint geranium I ’d ever planted in my garden . It was practically a geranium George Bush !
I ’ve never even seen a sweet-smelling geranium that sizing for sale at a nursery , let alone got one to grow that full-grown in my garden . For me , it is well worth the effort to winter ( forget deliver a few dollars ) .
For moretips on overwintering geraniums , read our handy guide .
Species and Cultivars to Select
There is a on the face of it interminable range of species and cultivar that lessen under the “ perfumed geranium ” umbrella . you’re able to feel one with big flowers that smell like a cedar timberland , and others with petite efflorescence and farewell that will cue you of the scent when you open a fresh jar of Myristica fragrans .
Here are two of my favorites , but if you want to know more , we have an intact guideall about the many scented geranium out there .
Chocolate Mint Hybrid
The first time I smelled this one , I was convinced that I was looking at some weird muckle works – that ’s how intense the smell is .
A intercrossed cross ofP. quercifoliumandP. tomentosum,‘Chocolate Mint ’ is a odorous geranium with an intense minty olfactory property to both the leaves and the pale lavender flowers . You ’ll sometimes see the plant call ‘ Chocolate Peppermint , ’ as well .
The chocolate in the name comes not from the aroma – it does n’t sense or taste like umber whatsoever – but from a coloured drinking chocolate - color splotch that melt down the shopping mall of each leaf for part of the year .
Once the flora flowers , the burnt umber splotch fades . grow two feet tall and 18 inches wide , this plant life is hardy in Zones 10 and 11 .
It has large leafage and each grow up to four inches across . The flowers are white and quite petite , so this is n’t one to pick out for its prime .
Orange Fizz
‘ Orange Fizz ’ ( P. citriodorum ) is one of my favorites . The leaves are quite expectant , comparable to the foliation on a zonary geranium , with a promising greenish color and leathery grain .
The flower are also larger than that of many other odorous geranium and come in a showy pinko and maroon colour .
It has a sweet , citrusy olfactory property , and reach out up to two feet tall and 18 inches wide-eyed .
Rose
This is perhaps the most well - love sweet-scented geranium , and often when people say “ sweet-smelling geranium , ” they are cerebrate of the rose species ( P. graveolens ) .
Hardy in zone 10 and 11 , it has smart pinkish flowers and deeply lob , serrate leaves .
When fully mature , they can get hold of four feet marvelous and three feet wide .
This plant is ideal for making press , using in frosting cream , or sum to pastry .
Want More Options ?
ascertain our out supplemental guidebook , “ 15 of the Best Scented Geranium Varieties . ”
Managing Pests and Disease
sweet-smelling geranium suffer from the same pest and disease as garden geraniums . Here is a brief overview , but ourguide to growing garden geraniumshas more details .
It ’s particularly important to keep pestis under control because they can open diseases . When it comes to louse , here are the top unity to keep an eye out for :
Aphids
Watch out for aphid , which are teeny , tiny footling pests that attack practically every works out there ( just a slim overstatement ) . fit out ourguide on place and dealingwith this common garden foe .
Caterpillars
You might also issue forth across caterpillars , which are the larvae of insects such as budworms , moolah loopers , cutworms , and plume moth .
Handpick any Caterpillar that you spot and overwhelm them in buttery weewee . Cut away any foliage that have insect damage or egg on them .
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are quarter - column inch or smaller insect that look like they ’re covered in cotton .
They suck the life out of plants and can draw black pitchy mold . Handpick and drown these pests , or rub the insect with a cotton wool swab dipped in rubbing alcoholic drink .
Find more information about controlling mealybugs in our scout .
Spider Mites
wanderer mites ( arachnoid from the Tetranychidae family line ) are another common pesterer , favoring teetotal , warm conditions . knock down them withwater from the hoseto knock them off of plants .
register more tips on wanderer mite control .
Whiteflies
Finally , catch for whiteflies . These small , white dyed tent-fly are pertain to aphid and mealybugs . They cluster together on foliage and can be hard to fleck when they are still , since they can be just 1/12 of an inch long .
However , if you shake a leaf , they will burst out and spread . Control them by blasting them off leaves with a nebuliser from the hosepipe as you would for touch and aphid . If you desire to add together a drop of dish soap to a cupful of water and then blast the bugs , even better .
Read more about whitefly ascendency here .
Diseases
There are a handful of diseases that commonly plague genus Pelargonium ( and garden geranium , for that subject ) .
Damping Off
Damping offis a major problem if you ’re commence geraniums from seed . This disease is triggered by H2O mold in thePythiumgenus , and fungi in theFusariumandRhizoctoniagenera .
The practiced way to obviate it is to expend a clean potting spiritualist for planting , and be sure to clean all of your tools and containers with a ten to one water and bleaching agent mixture .
It ’s also spread by fungus gnat , so keep those galling critter aside . Irrigate with warm water between 68 and 77 ° F , and do n’t fertilize untested seedlings . Also , be sure to give seedlings enough light .
If your plants do knuckle under to this disease , it makes young seedlings appear as though they have a weak , thin stem at the bottom . The bottom of the stem may also appear water - soaked , or seedling might not emerge at all .
Gray Mold
You may come across gray mold , which also sound by the name botrytis blight . triggered by the fungusBotrytis cinerea , it causes chocolate-brown blot or patch of gray mould to form on the foliage and flowers .
If you discover your genus Pelargonium have this disease , head to our guide on botrytis blight on geraniums . ( coming soon ! )
Leaf Spot
You might also see the fungous disease folio spot , which is make by fungi in theAlternariagenus .
When one of these types of fungi attacks , the leaves on the plant life might look like they have brownish , piss - soaked spots . finally , these spots will become besiege by yellowing tissue .
Use good horticulture hygiene to void this job , which includes taking care to not over fertilise or herd plants , cleaning up garden dust , and watering at the soil tier .
Root Rot
Finally , you might encounter beginning rot , specially in plants that are over - water or over - fertilized . This is also due to water molds in thePythiumgenus , though these mold attack mature plant rather than seeds or seedlings .
As with damping off , fungus gnats spread this disease , as does body of water .
As with leaf blot , good gardening practices go a long room toward keep this disease away , but you could also grow to products that arrest hydrogen hydrogen peroxide , such as ZeroTol HC .
ZeroTol HC
break up up a gallon of concentrateat Arbico Organicsand follow the manufacturer ’s way for app .
For detailed entropy , check out outgeranium plant disease identification and dominance scout .
Best Uses
odoriferous genus Pelargonium really stand out because of the aroma of their leaves . That ’s not to say that the plants are n’t beautiful , but there ’s a reason why zonary geraniums are more popular as garden seam options .
There are some with child leaved and expectant blossomed varieties , of course , but if you ’re appear for something purely ornamental , you ’d probably be better off with a garden geranium .
For that grounds , I like to place these near the edge of walkways or in pots on my patio so that I can enjoy the scent . But do n’t get me untimely , they do make lovely bedding plants . If that ’s what you ’re looking for , pick something like the cedar or apricot type for enceinte blossoms .
If you require to add together some texture to garden beds or planter , ‘ Prince Rupert , ’ ‘ Orange Fizz , ’ and ‘ Dr. Livingston ’ have leaves that peculiarly stand out .
Scented geraniums lend themselves well to containers because they do n’t have an extensive root system . Put themin hang up basketsor window box , where you could savour the scent indoors and out .
you may also grow these plants indoors , provided that you have enough sunlight to keep them glad .
Finally , do n’t forget that the leaves and heyday of these plants are edible . Use them in sweet and salad , or as a topper for soup or sandwich . Citrus varieties are fantastic as a garnish for fish , and some of the more full-bodied scents like ‘ Cinnamon ’ and ‘ Nutmeg ’ work with chicken and beef , as well .
They ’re also perfect for cocktails . puddle the leave into your favorite drink for a change of stride from the usual herbaceous plant .
Just be indisputable to forage only from your own garden or unpolluted garden areas nearby where you know the plants have n’t been spray with potentially harmful chemical if you plan to use up them .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Let Scented Geraniums Wow Your Senses
While they may not be quite as showy as their garden relative , scented geraniums are a roast - out for their olfactory property and look .
The fact that many new hybrids are belt down up with enceinte and more vibrant flower is just a bonus , in my opinion .
If you were n’t indisputable how to set forth with scented geranium , I ’m hoping that this article gave you the confidence to start . If so , I ’m dying to get a line which genus Pelargonium you decide to grow .
Then , head up over to one of our other helpful guide ongrowing flowersin your garden next :
Photos by Kristine Lofgren © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . production photos via Arbico Organics and Home Depot . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
