Geraniums are one of the longest cultivated plants from outside Europe - the first ones probably arrived in the 15th century. From the beginning of the 18th century, breeding works have been carried out. Since then, geraniums have dominated balconies and terraces almost continuously. Recently replaced by petunias from the Surfinia group, they have returned to favor when it turned out that they were superior to their reliability and durability.
The genus Pelargonium Pelargonium belongs to the geranium familyand includes about 200 species, mainly from South Africa. Their name comes from the Greek word pelargos, meaning stork, and refers to the spur resembling the beak of this bird.Very often, geraniums are called geraniums, which can be confusing because the name Geranium refers to a type of geranium. From the geranium, geraniums differ in the dorsal symmetry of the flower and the zone of its occurrence (the geraniums prefer a temperate climate).
Breeding of pelargoniums has led to the creation of thousands of varieties. There are four main groups among them, depending on the starting genre.
Bed geraniumsPelargonium hortorum, mainly derived from the striped pelargonium Pelargonium zonale, have an upright habit. Rigid shoots are covered with large, round leaves in outline. Velvety to the touch leaves often have a darker brownish ring. The flowers, single, full or semi-double, are gathered in magnificent spherical umbels.
The color of the flowers is very diverse: white, pink, red, salmon or orange, the flowers can also be two or multi-colored. Two years ago, 'First Yellow', the first variety with creamy yellow flowers, was shown at the Essen International Horticulture Show.This group also includes geraniums with decorative leaves. They draw attention with a bright border or multi-colored rings ('Tricolor'). Other curiosities of this group include the Graffiti and Fireworks series with jagged petals, giving the flowers a very interesting and original look.
Ivy-leaved geraniumscome mainly from Pelargonium peltatum. They are distinguished by long, overhanging shoots, often quite brittle and lobed leaves, resembling ivy leaves. The leaves are fleshy and shiny.
The flowers, much smaller than those of bed pelargonium, appear in great abundance. They can be single or semi-double. Ivy-leaved geraniums look best in hanging containers, amplas or balcony boxes, or in tall pots, from which the shoots can hang freely.
English geraniumsDerived from P. grandiflorum home geraniums. They are distinguished by vigorous growth (plants can reach 80 cm) and a serrated leaf edge.The sumptuous flowers are usually two-colored, pink-purple. They are not as well known as the rest. Due to their greater tolerance to high temperatures in winter, they have so far been grown mainly indoors. Recently, they also gain recognition as container plants. The new varieties with a much shorter, compact height from the Angeleyes series contributed to this.
Scented geraniumsUnlike other plants, the scent of geraniums is not disseminated by the flowers, but by the leaves which, especially when rubbed, smell like lemon, mint, nutmeg or … a rose. The most popular species is P. graveolens (the so-called "anginka") with intricately cut leaves scented with lemon. P. capitatum and P. radens have a rose scent. Not so long ago, geraniums were grown as houseplants. However, they feel much better and develop in the open air, so it is best to put them outside in summer.They are perfect as balcony and terrace plants - even in dry and hot summer they bloom profusely and reliably, and removing flowers additionally prolongs flowering.
They are also often used as bedding plants and flower beds. They like the sun and are drought tolerant. In rainy years, geraniums, especially in bedding, bloom less. The remaining groups adapt to slightly shaded places more easily.
Plants should spend winter in a bright but cool room. Room temperature is not suitable for bed and ivy-leaved geraniums - a rest period is necessary for profuse flowering. Ideally, we should provide them with a temperature of 5-10 ° C. Large-flowered and scented geraniums tolerate higher temperatures (up to 15 ° C).
The substrate for pelargoniums should be light, well-drained and humus-rich. Pe-largons have high nutritional requirements, so apart from good physical properties, the substrate should be very rich.When feeding pelargoniums, we should make sure that the fertilizers are intended for flowering plants (they contain more phosphorus and potassium). It is also worth using fertilizers specially designed for pelargoniums, which are richer in calcium, very "liked" by geraniums.
Propagation
Geraniums are best propagated through shoot cuttings. For this, the plants are moved at the end of winter (in January) to a warm and bright room. The emerging shoots are allocated to cuttings. The fastest, around 2 weeks, they take root at 20-22 ° C.
