STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Somewhere along the line, almost all of us have come across and recognize geraniums — or what we think are geraniums.
The fleshy-leafed plants, with their long flower stalks and cluster of blossoms, really are not geraniums, but pelargoniums. And while they’re related to perennial geraniums, they aren’t true geraniums.
Geraniums are a genus of 422 species that can be annuals, perennials or biennials. True geraniums, often referred to as cranesbill geraniums, are perennials and have seed pods that resemble the bill of a crane. These plants have attractive foliage that often is “toothed,” and rhizomes that spread underground.
Native to the Mediterranean, our common annual geranium is a member of the pelargonium genus, while the true geranium is a member of the geranium genus.
Pelargoniums, the plants we include every year in our beds, borders and containers, originally had foliage with a dark horseshoe zone. For that reason, they’ve been called zonal pelargoniums or zonal geraniums.
HAPPY IN SHADE
Although pelargoniums will produce healthy flowers in a location that receives at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day, they are happier with some shade during the hottest part of the afternoon.
They are heavy feeders, so it’s a good idea to fertilize every 2 weeks. Plant in fertile soil that is well drained and allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Deadhead spent blossoms to keep the plants looking neat and promote more blooms.
With the coming of fall and the end of our growing season rapidly approaching, we generally allow our pelargoniums to remain in the garden until a frost kills them. Since these plants are really tender perennials, they easily can last from year to year.
The problem is they can’t survive a frost and need to be brought indoors. There are several methods of overwintering pelargoniums if you act before the first frost arrives.
One method is to simply bring those in containers indoors. First remove any dead or yellow leaves and spent blooms. After swishing the foliage in sudsy water spray the entire plant, including underneath the leaves, with insecticidal soap. Once the plants have dried off, place them in your sunniest window, where they will continue to produce beautiful flowers all winter long.
It’s very uplifting to walk into a room, in the middle of winter, snow covering the ground, and see a row of colorful blossoms. It somehow makes you feel that spring is around the corner.
I dig up the pelargoniums growing in my garden and combine them together in containers. Since they have small root systems. they will do well even if a bit crowded.
Those in window boxes are simply groomed, sprayed with insecticidal soap and placed in a large bow window for the winter months. I give them enough water to keep the soil slightly moist and fertilize them once a month. Over the winter, I’ll pinch back the stems to keep the plants from becoming leggy and make them bushier.
At the same time, I take 4-inch cuttings from plants that have become leggy, making sure that they have at least 2 leaves. It’s best to dip the cut ends in a rooting hormone, available at your local nursery, before planting in moist potting soil. Provide them with as much sunlight as available and these cuttings soon will root.
You may want to experiment with bare root pelargoniums as another method of overwintering these plants. After digging up your pelargoniums, shake off all the soil from the roots. Don’t rinse them off!
Once you place the bare root plants in open paper bags where the air can circulate around them they soon will go dormant. Leave the bag open to prevent any problems with fungus or rot. Store them in a dark location where the temperature remains at 45 to 50 degrees.
While the thick, succulent stems have stored water and nutrients, the foliage will soon shrivel. Once a month you’ll need to soak the root in water for several hours to keep the plants from shriveling up and dying. Let them dry completely before putting them back into the paper bags.
In early spring, after cutting the stems back to about Ð of their height, pot up these dormant plants in fresh potting soil and place in a sunny location. Water sparingly until new growth appears.
In addition to the zonal pelargoniums, there are many other interesting cultivars on the market. The striking flowers and foliage of “Vancouver Centennial” certainly are worth growing and they, too, can be brought indoors for the winter.
The waxy leaves of ivy geraniums, available with both single and double flowers in shades of red, pink, purple, white and bicolors, are perfect for hanging baskets.
Martha Washington pelargoniums are very showy in spring, but can’t seem to deal well with hot weather. Instead of tossing or leaving these plants to wither and die with the onset of freezing temperatures, why not try extending their bloom indoors where you can appreciate these favorites all year long?
The Richmond Ever-Green Garden Club will host a tea, “Memories,” with table designs created by members, on Saturday, September 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn.
The afternoon’s guest speaker will be Sean Psomas, interior designer and owner of Wildflowers in New Dorp. Tickets are $55. For reservations, contact Jo-Anne Schiffner at 718-494-2395.
Lee Gugliada is past president of the Great Kills Garden Club and past director of First District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State.