Red geranium(Geranium sanguineum) is an undemanding perennial, perfect for sunny slopes in a rockery or in naturalistic gardens. It is worth planting in large groups of a dozen plants. Especially since it is evergreen and blooms for a long time! See whatcultivating and planting geraniumsin the garden looks like. We suggest the most interestingred geranium varietiesthat are worth having in your collection.
Red geranium - Geranium sanguineum
Fig. © Herbi
Red geranium - varieties
Red geranium creates extensive 25 cm high carpets with threadlike shoots.Geranium is a year-round perennial(evergreen). Its leaves are small, dark green, and turn yellow in the fall.
The great advantage of red geranium is the long flowering period . The flowers of the geranium appear from May to September, are carmine red in color.
There are severalinteresting varieties of red geranium on sale , which differ in height and color of flowers.
One of these varieties is thered geranium 'Roseum' . This plant grows up to 40 cm in height, and its leaves turn red in autumn wonderfully. It looks best when planted in 10-12 pieces per 1m².
If someone likes white flowers in the garden, he should know the varietyred geranium 'Album' . It grows up to 35 cm in height. It grows slightly higher and more straight than the basic species.
On the other hand,red geranium 'Compactum'forms clumps slightly more compact than the basic species. It blooms in a pastel pink color, in the form of single flowers on long stalks. It looks best when planted in 9-12 pieces per 1m².
Red Geranium 'Album'
Fig. © B.E.Z., forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
The last red geranium varieties worth mentioning are:geranium 'Max Frei'(growing up to 25 cm tall, with a carmine red color of flowers) andgeranium 'Lancastrense', which has leaves smaller than the basic species, creeping shoots and beautiful pink flowers with red veining.
Red geranium - cultivation
Red geranium is a plant that is very easy to grow.It feels best on sunny slopes, where it forms branchy clumps with thread-like shoots. Has low soil requirements.It prefers dry and moderately moist soils, which makes it suitable for planting in rock gardens, in naturalistic concepts or for covering sunny slopes.This species of geranium feels in full sunas well as partial shade.Good to know!
The basic species of red geranium grows well both in the sun and in partial shade, and its frost resistance is very high (frost resistance zone 5). Decorative varieties of red geranium prefer only sunny locations, and their frost resistance is slightly lower (frost resistance zone 6).
Red geranium does not require many care treatments . At the beginning of the season, you can feed the geranium with organic fertilizers such as compost or multi-component mineral fertilizers. After flowering, it is worth cutting off the dry inflorescences of the red geranium.
The red geranium is a resistant plant, therefore it is rarely attacked by fungal diseases or pests.
red geranium - planting
Red geranium can be planted in early spring or autumn . This plant looks best when planted in a group of a dozen or so pieces per square meter (I recommend planting 10-12 pieces). A suitable sunny position should be selected for planting.
Geranium has low soil requirements, but young seedlings can be given slightly better conditions for better acceptance. Whenplanting red geraniumsit is worth digging a hole slightly larger than the size of the pot in which the plant grows, pour fresh compost soil into it, plant the geranium and water it abundantly. Such an addition of organic matter will be beneficial for the geranium.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
