They languish in wet, clay soil. If your plant gets to be too large, don't be afraid to prune it back. Scented geraniums are light feeders, and their scent will be stronger if they are grown on the lean side. Or, … This scented geranium is the one most often listed as rose scented geranium. Perennial zones 10-11+ Live starter plant in 3" pot. So over time the compost becomes compacted and crushed down and also through the constant watering which is needed to keep the plant alive, the compost tightens down. You can always root the trimmings. The term "scented-leaved geraniums" refers to a group of species within the very large Pelargonium genus known to have leaves that emit a fragrance when touched or lightly bruised. But don't be surprised if some plants fail to return from dormancy. By using The Spruce, you accept our, How to Grow and Care for the Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow Plants, Growing Geraniums in Containers—Indoors and Out, 10 Top Outdoor Garden Plants That Thrive Indoors, How to Grow and Care for Chinese Money Plant, Annual Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle) Plant Profile. When allowed to grow in the ground, scented-leaf varieties can get quite large. Lemon-Scented Geranium Care The plants should be grown in average to organically rich soil, which should be kept at a medium level of moisture with a good amount of drainage. Scented geraniums bloom sporadically throughout the year depending on the variety, climate, and growing conditions. In Victorian times, people would float the leaves in small bowls of water as a way to cleanse their hands before eating, earning the plants the name "fingerbowl geraniums." Add water-soluble fertilizer to your watering routine once a month, but do not over fertilize. These plants are perennial in tropical climates, so are well-suited for hot, humid conditions. Plant outdoor geraniums densely, and let potted geraniums become root bound to encourage blooming. The geranium is an iconic, fragrant garden flower. Posted By: TIMG 87050 Views geranium care, geraniums, growing geraniums, how to keep geraniums blooming Whether planted in pots, planters and hanging baskets, or directly in flower beds, it’s easy to keep geraniums blooming big and bright all summer long with a few simple care and maintenance tips. Needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, to build up enough energy to bloom. If you live in a temperate climate where the winters don't get so cold that the ground freezes, you can overwinter your geraniums outside. The number and size of flowers is often directly related to the amount of sun the plant gets. You can, however, overwinter your geraniums and replant them every spring. Occasional pinching and pruning will make your scented geranium plants more full and bushy. Prune overwintered geraniums in the spring. You can also easily root cuttings and make more plants: Snip 6-inch long cuttings from growing stems and remove all but the uppermost leaves. As blooms begin to fade and die off, cut or pinch off the flower and the stalk it formed on. Lemon scented geranium plants clear the mind. If your plant gets to be too large, don't be afraid to prune it back. Especially popular with herb gardeners, scented geraniums can smell like almonds, apples, coconut, lemons, roses, nutmeg, peppermint, strawberries, chocolate, or even Old Spice cologne. Zonal geraniums can be massed as warm-season bedding plants or grown in windowsill pots. Keep potted geraniums by a sunny south-facing window or supplement natural light with a few hours under grow lights each day. Even when grown indoors geranium requires exposure to direct sun in order to thrive and bloom. Without enough sunlight, the plants will tend to grow taller in order to reach for additional light. Adjust temperatures for zonal geraniums grown indoors to 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55 F at night. Use a knife or sharp scissors to take a stem cutting 4 to 6 inches long. Some hardy geraniums offer attractive autumn foliage, so resist the urge to cut back too quickly after flowering. Scented geraniums are edible flowers, and the leaves are often used to scent foods like sugars and jellies. Water outdoor geraniums once a week and potted geraniums twice a week. This will allow the plant to grow more ramifications from the side buds and your Geraniums will get that nice bushy look. Repeat on all the stems. If blooming indoors, it requires a window with direct light, facing West or South. All Rights Reserved. Annual geraniums (Pelargonium species), which usually only last for a year, include zonal, fancy-leaf, ivy, scented, and Martha Washington (or regal) types. While technically you can use any scented geranium to make geranium oil, if you purchase geranium essential oil you’ll most likely get Pelargonium graveolens. Full sun generally provides the best flowering, but they will tolerate part shade. Hardy geraniums need very little care. Scented geranium are known to get leggy and should be pinched back to encourage a bushy shape. Pungent varieties have the largest flowers. There are several ways to successfully overwinter scented geraniums. Not every plant will survive this treatment, but a surprising number do. Dip the cut end in a rooting hormone and plant in an organic potting mix. Dip the cut end of the cutting in rooting hormone, then plant in a small container filled with moist vermiculite. Learn how to care for them Regular deadheading, or taking off spent blooms, is one of the most important keys to keep geraniums blooming. No garden is complete without geraniums (Pelargonium), and theyre so easy to grow that no gardener should be caught without one. If that happens, you can prune lightly to create a bushier plant. As you test leaves, you should know that geranium oil made from older, yellowing leaves actually has a stronger rose scent. Their mid-green leaves are rounded, crinkled, and sometimes scented. The best spot for them is in a well-drained garden bed. Choose a potting mix, with equal amounts soil, peat moss and perlite and they will thrive. The multitude of fragrances are grouped into 6 classes— rose, lemon, fruit, pungent, mint, and spice. Like other garden pelargoniums, scented-leaved geraniums prefer full sun but will tolerate part shade. Some even take plants indoors to bloom … American growers first fell in love with the geranium flower over 200 years ago, and its not hard to see why. All you need are a few simple geranium flower care tips. Geraniums grow indoors and out. Potted plants will need more fertilizer than plants in the ground. Geraniums are cheerfully blooming plants of the family Pelargonium, and range from sweet tiny pink-flowering wild species to the common round-leaf scarlet blossomed houseplant variety. Get your geraniums to bloom and keep them blooming with the right soil, light, temperature and watering schedule. Geraniums are easy to propagate and grow from cuttings. In the spring, bring the potted plants back outside and water deeply. They’re not targeted by rabbits, and slugs and snails will eat other plants in preference. The smaller, wild hardy geraniums common to North America and Europe are in the genus “Geranium.” Ever-popular Pelargoniums are native to South Africa. Scented geraniums will tolerate most soil pH, but a slightly acidic pH of about 5.8 to 6.3 is ideal. Geraniums need at least six hours of sun each day, but also like being shaded from temperatures over 30 degrees. If you can’t keep the geranium near a sunny window use 40-watt supplemental fluorescent tube lighting fixed 12 inches over the plants for minimum 14 hours each day to help them growing. Scented geraniums have long been favored for their fragrant leaves, which release aromatic oils when rubbed or crushed. Geraniums are cheerfully blooming plants of the family Pelargonium, and range from sweet tiny pink-flowering wild species to the common round-leaf scarlet blossomed houseplant variety. Spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil should get rid of them. Prized for their fragrant foliage and showy flowers, lemon-scented geraniums (Pelargonium crispum) grow as … Although success varies, you can also place potted geraniums in a cool, dark space for the winter, allowing them to go dormant in the pots. Most scented geraniums have relatively small flowers; some are quite lovely, and some are so tiny you will barely notice them. 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