Geranium - Interesting Species And Varieties

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Geranium - the soloist of your flower beds

Geranium Himalayan Plenum

Geraniums are field flowers familiar to everyone since childhood, primordially Russian flowers. They grow almost everywhere: along the highways and dusty country roads, along the banks of rivers and streams, they cover the surrounding fields with their purple lace.

Their unpretentiousness and resistance to our northwestern, unpredictable winters are well known to many keen flower growers. It was for these precious qualities that I chose several varieties of geraniums for the solo role in my flower garden. There are about 300 species of geraniums that grow throughout the white world. In our climate, of course, not everyone has shown themselves to be "staunch tin soldiers".

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I can confidently recommend for cultivation those types of geraniums that have been growing with me for at least three years: red-brown (dark), blood-red, Oxford, Armenian, Himalayan, ash, meadow geraniums. This list is far from complete, but I will describe only those species and varieties that are well known to me from personal cultivation experience.

In addition to unpretentiousness, stability and abundant flowering, geraniums have such a valuable quality as decorativeness throughout the season; the first autumn frosts do not make any impression on them. Not all perennials can boast of this quality.

Geranium hybrid Jolly Bee

With the first September night cold snap, we say goodbye to the hosts, dahlias, phytolacca, rogers and sigh sadly: "Summer is over." But the cheerful, delicate green geranium tells us: the summer continues. Many consider geraniums to be Cinderella and shy, softly shading other magnificent plants. I cannot agree with this.

For geraniums, as, indeed, for any landscape plant in the country style, it is necessary to correctly and successfully find a place in the garden, then all the royal qualities of this adorable plant will manifest. And over time, as the geranium grows, its bright, big-eyed flowers and carved, often multi-colored leaves will adorn your flower garden. Even next to the rose, such a hybrid variety of geraniums as Jolly Bee (happy or cheerful bee), undoubtedly looks attractive and leads its solo part, and the rose only humbly sings along with it.

By the way, it was this very excellent variety of hybrid geranium that made me an ardent fan of this flower. Just imagine: bright blue flowers with a white eye with a diameter of 5 cm (with the usual 3-4 cm), their flowering begins in mid-June and continues until October and beyond, then the moment when I cut off the still flowering stems. The variety is distinguished by an amazing abundance of flowers, one plant occupies a square meter of a flower garden with its spread stems.

Well, how can you resist such a miracle? Of course, I could not resist, and began an all-out hunt for new varieties. Breeders have long paid attention to geraniums and have come to grips with its improvement, bred many varieties that we can now admire, we will say thank you to them for that. Hybrid geraniums are wonderful as they are, but their varieties must be tested for resistance. Unlike Jolly Bee, such a variety as Ann Folkard was tormented by my poor fellow in the flower garden for two years and, apparently, decided that he did not belong here.

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Ash geranium Purple Pillow

The hybrid varieties Rosanna (very similar to Jolly Bee) and Patricia are breaking all records for the duration of flowering. Miniature lace Elke (a kind of blood-red geranium) pleases us all summer with its charming pink flowers and finely cut lace foliage for a lovely sight; ashy geranium Purple Pillow (Purple pillow) does not get tired of endlessly throwing out new peduncles with bright dark crimson flowers with a contrasting black eye. The Himalayan geranium Plenum is aggressively taking over a large piece of land, but I don't mind. After all, it blooms with lush, double pink-lilac flowers. And even if not as long as the varieties named above, but very abundant.

Oxford geranium Katerina Adele is the most delicate, openwork creation with almost white flowers and leaves with a contrasting purple spot. These varieties do not pretend to be soloists, they are, in my opinion, elegant little dandies.

I also include dark geranium varieties - Samobor, Springtime - among stylish garden plants. I must admit that I am very partial to this species - fleshy, large leaves, decorated with spots and strokes, look spectacular in any group. Flowering begins extremely early - from mid-May. And although at the end of June it is already over, the decorativeness of the plant does not suffer at all, because foliage enters the heyday, as if it came out from under the brush of the impressionist artist.

Dark geranium is especially good. After it grows, and it happens quickly, this species is a real life-lover.

Meadow geranium Okey Dokey

Yes, I forgot to mention one more unconditional soloist of my flower choir - this is Armenian geranium. The luxury of her tall bush with bright crimson flowers overshadows all adherent perennials.

I planted varieties of heuchera with burgundy leaves below it, it turned out to be a completely harmonious combination. In my opinion, varieties of meadow geranium can also apply for solo parties, but only if their foliage turns out to be dark purple shades, for example, like the variety Okey Dokey. It seems to me that it is necessary to choose the right neighbors here, for me these are tiarellas, heycherellas, miniature astilbe, medium-sized hosts.

Such a wonderful plant as geranium can stand in the doorway of your garden as a doorman in court uniform, or it can sit on a throne in a royal robe - it depends only on your keen eye, design ambitions and love for adorable geraniums.

Those florists who are interested in this wonderful flower, I invite you to visit my website www.poli-sad5.narod.ru or call +7 (921) 301-79-73