Geranium Plants - Your Online Source for Information on Geraniums
A Quick Guide to Geranium Plants
Geranium plants are among the most popular annuals planted today in the United States. The geranium plants that most people are familiar with are not true geraniums, but a second group within the geranium family known as pelargoniums.Sometimes they are also called zonal geraniums because the leaves have a margin of a darker color. True geraniums, on the other hand, are perennials with smaller flowers that are most often used as ground-cover plants.
The geranium plants, known as pelargoniums or zone geraniums come in many different colors and some come with different scents. You can have flowers that are red, white, pink, magenta, blue, lavender, orange, and other colors. These geraniums are the mound-type that grow upright. Their flowers can be singles or doubles, and even semi-doubles.
Fancy-leafed Geraniums are one type of pelargonium. On these, the leaves are very colorful so they are showy even when not in bloom. There is a Black Velvet Series with black leaves that have green edges. This geranium was an All-America Award winner in 2002. Another type of fancy-leafed geranium has yellow leaves. Flowers on these types of geranium plants can be salmon, apple blossom, or red.
Another one of the unique pelargoniums is the scented geranium. Most of these are plants that grow upright, and they grow well in pots and other containers inside and outside. They come in a wide variety of scents, including rose, mint, lemon, orange, apple, cinnamon, chocolate, and more. One of the scented geranium plants even repels mosquitoes. It’s often sold as the “mosquito geranium,” and it is a hybrid that produces oil of citronella. Others in this group of plants can have wood or nut scents. Some people use the leaves of scented geraniums in cooking or in making potpourris.
True geraniums are also known as hardy geraniums and cranesbill geraniums. They are often used as garden borders and are very popular as landscaping plants. True geraniums spread along the ground and are often placed under other plants like roses for contrast. It is a very hardy perennial plant that does well in colder conditions. It grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 - 9.
The seed pods on the true geranium are shaped like a “crane’s bill,” which is where it gets the name. This geranium grows to be around a foot high but there are cultivars or hybrids that can grow up to three feet high. They can reseed themselves or be planted from cuttings. There are over four hundred different types of true geraniums, so you can be sure to find sizes and colors that will bring your garden to life.