Geraniums Reign Supreme As Mother's Day Gifts

Mother’s Day is just about six weeks away, and the traditional plant gift for that day is the geranium. Geraniums will show up in a few weeks at garden centers, church and civic plant sales, and even online.

Virtually everyone buys a couple or dozens of these plants every spring. While other plants have tried to creep in, there are still more geraniums sold for Mother’s Day than any other plant or flower for any holiday.

What has changed substantially, though, are the varieties that are now available. The choices of flower and foliage colors range from subtle to intense, and where these plants were once primarily used to adorn flower boxes, their uses have spread to mass bedding, hanging baskets, patio planters and for some specialists and collectors they are grown as standards that look more like small trees.

And let’s not overlook the scented geraniums that present surprising whiffs of chocolate, citrus and other scents. A citronella-scented geranium has also been sold that allegedly acts as a mosquito repellent. It isn’t, and don’t waste your money.

All our Pelargonium geraniums are treated as annuals and they will not tolerate frost. The true geraniums, however, like Geranium Birch’s double or Rozanne, are the hardy types but probably not the one your mother will appreciate unless she’s into perennials.

Since most of the species of Pelargonium are found in South Africa, they were probably among the earliest plants grown at the Dutch settlement established in 1652 near the Cape of Good Hope to provision East Indies trading ships. It’s likely that ships’ surgeons (who were often botanically inclined) brought some of them to Europe.

As early as 1690, one of the three prime parental stocks for Martha Washington or Regal Pelargoniums (P. cucullatum) was known in England. Ivy-leaved geranium (P. peltatum) is reported to have been brought to England in 1701. And by 1714, P. zonale and P. iniquins, two of the precursors of our present-day zonal geraniums, were introduced to England.

Zonal-type geraniums have bands or zones in the foliage that can be red, bronze and other colors. The “zone” is generally on the interior of the leaves as opposed to the edges.

In the United States, early records show that Thomas Jefferson sent geraniums from France to John Bartram of Philadelphia in 1786, while early in the 19th century, many species were being grown in England and a substantial amount of hybridizing was being done. Between 1810 and 1820, Robert Sweet wrote a five-volume book on geraniums and the rest of that century, and until now, the popularity of geraniums has continued to increase. There are probably more than 400 varieties of this plant in the commercial trade with more available through collectors.

Galaxy zonal geraniums (P. hortorum) have been bred for their earliness, free flowering, mounding and self-branching habits, characteristics equally as important as flower color and size. They must perform well in flowerbeds and as container plants for porch, patio or deck.

Ivy geraniums, which include the cascades (P. peltatum), are colorful plants with lax stems most often used for hanging baskets and other container plantings. Their semi-double flowers include white, pastels of pink, rose, lavender and purple, and vibrant reds. Many of them have second colors in the flowers.

Cascade varieties are highly popular in Europe because they flower lavishly wherever grown. Some grow exuberantly; other compact varieties might not exceed 12 inches in a season’s growth. Cascades, such as the Balcons (also referred to as alpine geraniums) which I grew for years when I had a balcony in Hampton Bays, are the famous European varieties so often used in window, porch and balcony boxes in Germany and Switzerland. Very heat tolerant, they can also be used as flowering ground covers in sunny locations. Gardeners here who try them report exceptional results so their popularity will continue to grow, though they are not favorites among commercial growers due to their tangled growing habits.

Cascade geraniums show their true colors when put to the test for all-summer blooming. One garden center owner we know says you may have to explain their advantages once, but one try brings customers back for more, year after year. Flower production is so profuse they become literally covered with flowers — and stay that way through the season, providing they’re given reasonable care which includes feeding. And all of the Cascade varieties are self-cleaning which means that you don’t have to spend a lot of time grooming the plants, also known as deadheading.

“Sofie Cascade,” “Bright Cascade” and “Lila-Compact Cascade” all have the light-colored stems, which make such an attractive contrast with leaves and flowers but there are many other varieties as well. They also have a medium growth habit, ideal for a variety of container uses.

Sunlight and ample water are two of the keys to success with the Cascade varieties. And feeding with a fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium assures that the blooms just keep coming. A slow-release fertilizer applied at planting is ideal, as it overcomes lapses caused by vacations and forgetfulness. And always use a prepared soil mix with a lightweight combination of peat, vermiculite and/or perlite, such as Pro-Mix.

The Cascades are very heat tolerant and have been successfully grown in the hot, arid conditions of rock gardens. For the best success in container plantings, avoid backing containers onto heat-collecting south- and west-facing walls where temperatures stay above 90 degrees for extended periods of time.

For instant color and fullness, plant close together. For economy, space them farther apart and let them grow together.

Window boxes: Plant the above or similar varieties from 4-inch pots 10 inches apart. If planting the window box from a 10-inch hanging basket, space on 15-inch centers for quick and dramatic results. When using “Red Mini Cascade” or “Lila Mini Cascade,” plant from 4-inch pots to 6-inch centers.

Hanging Baskets: Get hanging baskets already planted ready for display, or make your own from 4-inch pots. Plant 3 pots per 10-to-12-inch hanging basket.

Ground cover: Plant the larger varieties on 8-inch centers using 4-inch pots for quick cover, or on 12-inch centers if instant fullness is not critical. It’s cooler at ground level, so the Cascades will perform well under adverse conditions of heat. Water so that foliage of the geraniums is dry before night.

Mixed containers: Cascades and ivy geraniums combine beautifully with other flowers in mixed containers, and work especially well as the trailing components.

Regal pelargoniums (P. domesticum) are also known as Lady Washingtons or Martha Washingtons. They have large, dramatically colored open blossoms and are grown as flowering pot plants and outdoor plantings in cool summer areas.

A generation or two ago, most families overwintered geraniums as houseplants, and those with sunny windows achieved a certain amount of success in flower production during mid-winter. The development of compact types such as the Fischer varieties makes this a reality again. Some geranium producers are growing them as pot plants for fall and winter sales so that they can be enjoyed for several weeks in the home. (In Europe, over 25% of zonal geraniums are used indoors.)

Growing Plants Indoors: Start with a geranium growing in a 4-inch pot in May. Re-pot into a 6-inch pot and plunge the pot outside in full sun for the summer. Apply a slow-release fertilizer at recommended rates when re-potting. Bring inside in early to late September (before frost). Remove all buds and blooms. Allow soil to dry between waterings, but water before wilting. Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote. Compact Fischer varieties will not stretch so much as old-fashioned kinds. Expect satisfactory performance, but not as splendid as outdoors.

Growing a Standard: To grow a tree geranium, start with a rooted cutting from March to May. Pot eventually into a 6-inch pot. Do not pinch the main shoot. Instead, keep the single unpinched stem tied to a stake inserted in the pot. Remove all side shoots and buds as they appear. Do not remove any leaves. When the central stem has reached 2 and a half to 3 and a half feet, pinch the tip and allow three to five side branches to grow from the upper end. When each side branch is 4 to 6 inches in length, pinch and repeat with subsequent branches until a good head is formed.

The one well-documented method to keep your geraniums disease free is to keep the foliage dry. Never plant them where there is overhead irrigation and don’t get the leaves wet on humid days when the moisture will remain on the foliage. Never water them in the late afternoon or the evening. Of course, this isn’t always practical especially when it rains, but at the first sign of brown spots or soft spots on the foliage remove those leaves and put them in the garbage — not the compost pile.

Get your mom’s geranium early, as the best always sell out. You’ll find them in pots from 4 inches up to 12 inches and larger. If you snatch a grand one early just keep it in a sunny window, keep the foliage dry and turn it a half-turn every few days. Keep growing.