Ivy Geraniums
How to Grow Ivy Geraniums
Ivy geraniums are named after other ivy-leafed plants because they grow in the same manner--by trailing. They are most often seen in hanging baskets or in window boxes. They originated in South Africa and the first of the ivy geraniums was introduced in the Netherlands in 1700. It took until 1774 for the plant to make it to England, and from there it made its way across the ocean with the English colonists who settled in America.
Today there are approximately seventy-five different varieties of ivy geraniums. The ones that have become most popular are known in Switzerland as alpine balcony geraniums, and these can be found in window boxes across Europe. They are quite vine-like, and can spread out to as much as four feet in one season. There is also a cascade series, which grows up to three feet and a mini-cascade series that is in the two-foot range. This choice of sizes makes it easy to plant an ivy geranium to fit different spaces of varying dimensions.
Everyone loves ivy geraniums because they have tons of flowers all season long and they come in bright colors--scarlet, pink, and lavender. They are hardy plants, whose biggest problem is that people over-water them. This causes brown patches to develop on the leaves. If this happens, don’t water the plant as often and cut off the diseased leaves.
Ivy geraniums like to have well-drained soil and they respond well to the basic 10-10-10 fertilizers. To keep them blooming straight through the summer, you must remember to continually pinch off the dead flowers. The alpine varieties do not need to have this done as the dead flowers will drop off by themselves. This plant likes temperatures in the 70s during the day but not over 80 degrees. It you live somewhere where the temperature frequently exceeds 80 degrees, be sure to plant your ivy geranium in a place where it will get afternoon shade. If you live in an area where there is cold weather, you should bring your plant inside before the first frost.
If you want to grow new ivy geraniums, it is most often done by rooted cuttings. They grow well in a good well-drained starter mix such as perlite. You can also grow them from seeds--the best varieties for seed propagation are the “Tornado” and “Summer Showers” species. If you want to plant in May, you will need to start your seeds growing in January.
Ivy geraniums sometimes develop edema from inconsistent watering--these spots appear on the underside of the leaves. They are resistant to most plant diseases and usually pest free. The most hardy of the ivy geranium varieties are Beauty of Eastbourne, Cornell, Mexicana, Sybil Holmes, Salmon Queen, and King of Balcon.