Geranium garden perennial planting and care in the open field

An unpretentious and marvelous perennial garden geranium, which, due to the similarity of seeds with a crane's beak, is called a crane, will not leave a single gardener indifferent. The versatility of the flower allows it to be used to decorate rockeries, alpine slides and natural garden areas.

Types and varieties of plants for open ground

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Today it is known about the existence of almost 300 species and varieties of perennial geraniums with various parameters: flower color, size of bushes and leaf plates.

Balkan geranium

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

In the wild, the species is found in the highlands of the Alps, Carpathians and the Balkans. It has been domesticated since the 17th century. Due to the presence of a thick and highly branched rhizome, the species is often called large-rhizome. The ground part is represented by a compact dense bush 30 cm in height. Elongated dark green leaf plates, attached to the shoot on long petioles, acquire a yellow-red color with the onset of the autumn season. Before flowering, which occurs in early summer and lasts for a month, the plant throws out long peduncles. Flowers, collected in basket inflorescences up to 3 cm in diameter, have a red or purple color. Among the most popular varieties are the fast-growing Spessart, the lush Ingwersens variety and the Czakor.

Marsh geranium

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

The natural habitat covers the vast wetlands of Russia. The highly branched stem, to which the basal rosette leaves on long petioles are attached, reaches 70 cm in height. The upper part of the stem is crowned with two small basket-shaped inflorescences, consisting of purple flowers. Flowering begins in the first half of summer. A cold-resistant and undemanding species, distinguished by the Album variety with snow-white inflorescences.

Geranium is gorgeous

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

In front gardens and flower beds, the species has been cultivated for over 100 years. It is characterized by a fast growth rate and a compact form of a dense bush with a half-meter stem, covered with five-part leaf plates. With the arrival of autumn, the latter change color from green to orange-yellow. Flowering is noted when light purple flowers bloom. Among the varieties, Mrs. Kendall Clark, distinguished by gray-blue flowers with a pinkish tone.

Himalayan geranium

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

The species owes its name to the natural growth zone - the Himalayas.The flower is represented by a compact bush, the central shoot of which is well branched, with a height of 30 to 60 cm.Round, slightly lowered leaf plates have a diameter of 10 cm.From the upper part of the stem, a peduncle develops at the end with a basket inflorescence with a diameter of up to 5 cm.Violet or blue bloom flowers with red veins on the petals in May. The duration of flowering can extend over the entire summer season. A very decorative variety that fits perfectly into any garden design, most often represented by such popular varieties as Gravetye, Jonsons Blue.

Dalmatian geranium

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

The species is represented by undersized bushes up to 15 cm in height, covered in the second half of summer with small light pink flowers. The waxy foliage turns red in autumn.

In addition to the above varieties, Georgian geranium, blood-red, forest and meadow geraniums are often cultivated on flower beds.

Planting geraniums: preparatory activities

To get a bright flower that overshadows the beauty of the rest of the garden plants, it is necessary to carry out preparatory measures.

How to choose planting material?

Planting material can be obtained independently from seeds or by dividing a bush, and can also be purchased at a flower shop or garden geranium nursery.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

In order not to make a mistake when buying, you should study the information for different options for planting material:

  • A rhizome with many adventitious roots and a growth point is acquired in February. Before purchasing, the roots are inspected for visible damage and hardness. Before planting in the front garden, the material previously placed in a container with peat is stored in the refrigerator.
  • The rhizome, which has shoots with leaves, should be placed in a container with earth before planting on a flower bed.
  • Buying a seedling in a pot, the gardener will easily root it at any time. However, this planting material is the most expensive.

Important! When choosing future flowers, the florist must take into account his further place of growth.

Site and soil preparation

A place for planting garden geraniums is chosen in areas where shading occurs during the day, and the groundwater is deep. The variety and type of flower is also of great importance. The garden beauty is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but the fertile soil with good drainage will cope with the task of obtaining abundant flowering, providing the throughput of air and water. Before planting geraniums, a site previously fertilized with compost is dug up onto two bayonets of a shovel.

Landing technology

Planting geraniums is carried out in the second half of May as follows:

  • In the prepared area, planting pits are made, taking into account the length of the root system of the culture: the hole is dug 20 cm deep more than the length of the roots.
  • If the landing is not single, a distance of 30 cm is maintained between the holes.
  • The bottom of the pit is lined with a drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay, gravel in order to prevent decay of the rhizome due to stagnant moisture.
  • A soil mixture of peat and sand is poured on top, on which the rhizome of the plant is placed.
  • After planting, young specimens are well moistened.

Advice! At the end of planting work, the soil should be mulched using sawdust or peat to protect the land from drying out.

Outdoor garden geranium care

Garden geranium is an undemanding crop, but in order to ensure long-lasting lush flowering, the plant needs a number of procedures.

Watering

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

The flower needs moderate but systematic moisture. Abundant watering is important after planting and during summer drought, when the leaves droop from a depressing factor. Regular irrigation at the root will restore vitality and return to its previous appearance.

Important! Spraying of the ground part of the plant is not carried out.

Loosening and mulching

If, after planting, the soil is mulched, this will make it possible to reduce the forces on loosening. Planting ground cover crops between geranium specimens will also reduce labor costs for this procedure.

Attention! In the case of mulching, one must not forget about the systematic renewal of the mulch layer: for full development, the plant needs loose soil.

Top dressing

Geranium does not need additional nutrition when adding peat and compost during planting. If desired, the gardener can feed the plant with complex mineral fertilizers during intensive growth.

Pruning

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Timely pruning of wilted inflorescences will stimulate the formation of new buds - to extend the flowering phase. Caring for geraniums in the fall involves removing yellowed foliage, but the procedure is not necessary: ​​most varieties of perennial garden geraniums are frost-resistant plants that winter without pruning.

Transfer

The culture has poor transplant tolerance, feeling great when grown in one place for a decade. After this long period, you can start transplanting, the optimal time for which is the resting phase.

Disease and pest control

The culture is affected by rot and tomato wilting, if detected, the affected shoots are removed, and the rest of the plant is treated with a fungicide according to the instructions on the package. Of the pests, the most common are aphids, which can be controlled by spraying with soapy water or insecticidal, depending on the degree of population.

Reproduction of perennial garden geranium

Flower cultivation takes place in two ways:

  1. The seed method is a laborious technique that does not guarantee the preservation of varietal characteristics.
  2. Vegetative method (dividing the bush and grafting) - the division of the bush is carried out, as a rule, when transplanting a plant, during which the separated part of the rhizome is planted in a previously prepared soil. Cutting is the simplest and most popular way of breeding geraniums, in which part of the shoot is placed in water before the roots appear. And then the cutting takes root in the prepared soil. Can be treated with a growth stimulant and planted immediately.

Thus, planting and caring for garden geraniums does not require supernatural efforts. And the beauty that she will give will delight the owner of the flower for many years.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldWild varieties of geraniums can be seen in almost all regions with temperate, subtropical and even tropical climates. The perennial garden geranium was introduced into the culture by the ancient Greeks and was nicknamed geranion, that is, the crane, for the similarity of fruits with long bird beaks.

Geraniums in the garden: guests from the wild

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldIt is believed that the name was assigned to plants with delicate foliage and delicate flowers in the 1st century AD thanks to Dioscorides. Then, the perennial street geranium, which has found application in the economy and medicine, has been popular in Europe since the Middle Ages. And in Russia, in the front gardens, it appeared in the 18th century. The spread and diversity of varieties led to the fact that the name Geraniaceae received a whole family, which included about 400 species of geraniums and more than 200 species of South African pelargonium.

In the wild, geraniums prefer to settle in meadows, under the shade of coniferous and deciduous forests, in the mountains and along rivers. Cultural varieties of perennial geraniums:

  • preserved the unpretentiousness of natural plants, their adaptability to severe winters, dry summers;
  • became more decorative and vibrant, some of them bloom twice a season, they are distinguished by variegated foliage and especially large flowers.

In addition to simple flowers inherent in the vast majority of geraniums, garden, perennial varieties and hybrids can delight the grower with terry flowering, as well as shades that cannot be found in a meadow or in a forest glade overgrown with geraniums.

Geraniums in the garden differ in the size and shape of the bush, the range of colors, color and type of foliage. Most plants have flat or cupped corollas, consisting of five petals with pronounced veins. Geranium leaves are no less beautiful than its flowers. Depending on the species, they can be even green or variegated in color, be rounded or fancifully dissected.

Reproduction of perennial street geranium

When comfortable growing conditions are created, the ripe fruits of the plant spontaneously open and the seeds scatter far around the surroundings. And in spring, seedlings are found far from the main plantings of geraniums.

On the one hand, self-seeding allows you to update and unobtrusively change the appearance of the garden. On the other hand, with regular planting, geraniums sprouting independently in the garden are not a pleasant surprise. In order to avoid self-seeding, it is better to remove unripe fruits.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldIf the grower is going to use his own seeds for sowing, he has a difficult task to solve. Drying ripe fruits instantly open, and unripe seeds may not give the desired shoots. Therefore, in advance, the tops of the peduncles with fruits are hidden in small canvas bags and tied up from below so that the seeds remain inside.

Due to the hassle of the process and the non-guaranteed receipt of seedlings, seeds for propagation of perennial garden geraniums are rarely used. It is much more efficient and easier to get a new plant by dividing an adult bush.

Storage and care of geraniums before planting in the country in spring

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldIf geraniums already available in the garden or on the street are planted, you can divide the bush and plant parts of it in early autumn. When a rhizome with buds has to be bought and there is no way to plant geraniums in the ground before the onset of cold weather, it is important to keep the rhizome dense and viable.

It is important to remember that perennial street geraniums have well-developed peripheral roots. In planting material, this part of the root system must be preserved until planting, and later provide the plant with nutrition and moisture.

For this, the rhizome is sprinkled with peat and placed in a container or perforated bag. As such, future garden geraniums should be kept at 1–4 ° C until planting. The peat substrate must be slightly moistened, making sure that the roots do not dry out or rot. The container is chosen so that the roots are completely covered with soil and not intertwined.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldIf the plant, even in a basement or refrigerator, has started to grow, it should be transferred to a bright, cool room. Here, perennial garden geraniums will be planted in deep containers and light nutritious soil and the usual care, which includes moisturizing the substrate.

The easiest and most reliable option for planting and caring for perennial garden geraniums is to purchase planting material with a closed root system. Such seedlings easily take root and can be transferred into the ground at almost any warm season.

When can you plant geraniums outside? Plants do not suffer much from frost, and most species quickly begin to grow in a new location. Therefore, when the soil warms up to 15–18 ° C, the rhizomes can be transplanted into open ground. Depending on the region and weather conditions, this time most often occurs in the first half of May. If there is a threat of night frosts, it is better to cover unrooted geraniums in the garden with non-woven material.

Planting geraniums in the garden and caring for the crop

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldThe existing today decorative varieties of garden geranium, flower growers owe the interest in this plant of breeders from Holland and Great Britain. Despite the fact that these cultivated species have become brighter, their flowering is more abundant and longer, geraniums in the garden require the selection of conditions close to those in which their wild ancestors grew.

When geraniums are planted in open ground in spring, the planting site is chosen depending on the variety and type:

  1. Meadow, Himalayan or gorgeous outdoor geraniums will actively grow and bloom if the plants are in the sun and are provided with abundant watering.
  2. In the dry corners of the garden, where there is a lot of sun, the large-flowered and red-brown varieties are irreplaceable.
  3. Georgian geranium looks good on an alpine slide.
  4. If there is a humid corner in the shade of trees at the summer cottage, marsh geranium will grow beautifully here.
  5. When planting and caring for the Balkan geranium in the country, planting easily tolerates drought and shading.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldAll geraniums have branched long roots that do not tolerate transplanting very well. To reduce the stress from this procedure and to simplify subsequent care, a fairly deep planting hole is made for planting geraniums in the garden. Its depth should be several centimeters greater than the length of the roots spread over the nutrient soil at the bottom of the pit. After careful filling, the planting site is watered, and the soil is mulched from above.

Since most species grow significantly in a couple of years, there should be at least 20-30 cm between individual geraniums in the garden.

Due to the density of the crown and the emitted essential oils, weeds are reluctant to settle next to geraniums, and not all insect pests can harm ornamental crops.

And yet, even such an unpretentious plant capable of standing up for itself needs support. Caring for geraniums in the garden after planting consists of:

  • in regular watering, meeting the needs of a particular type of plant;
  • in dressings, the first of which is carried out with the help of infusion of compost and peat immediately after transplanting;
  • in the autumn pruning of dead foliage and the summer removal of wilted inflorescences.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldSpring for geraniums should begin with nitrogen fertilization. It will push the plant to the formation of lush foliage, and after a month, a complex agent is introduced under the plants, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. Species accustomed to living in mountains or dry areas require less fertilization than flat varieties.

Perennial garden geranium is an unusual, undemanding and very attractive green decoration of any site. The plant is versatile and can be successfully used in single and group plantings, without the need for special care.

Geranium in the garden and garden - video

Garden geranium is a favorite culture of flower growers. Because of the beautiful inflorescences and decorativeness of the bush, it has become popular. The name of the flower is related to the shape of the fruit, which resembles a crane's beak or a stork's beak. This flower is called differently in different countries: in Germany it is "stork nose", in England and America - "crane", in Bulgaria - "health resort". In Russia, this flower got its name from the Greek word "geranium".

Geranium is an unpretentious, widespread plant. It appeared in the 17-18 centuries in the south of England, in Europe, today it has up to 280 species. Currently, new varieties of garden geranium have been developed. They are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions of our country, they tolerate winter well and are highly resilient. Garden geranium attracts specialists and amateurs in the field of selection for its amazing quality - ease of cultivation.

Garden geranium: description

Garden geranium should not be confused with pelargonium. Geraniums are perennial plants. And pelargoniums belong to the genus of annual crops. These are both plants from the Geraniev family, but belong to different genera. Geranium has become a well-known horticultural crop due to its ability to grow in open ground, so it began to be grown in gardens, in flower beds.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

There are garden geraniums of white, red, pink, purple colors. Planting and leaving is easy enough. This plant is a compact bush with openwork leaves of various sizes, which grows and forms a thick carpet. Geraniums have leaves with rounded and pointed edges, with large and small lobules.The flowers of this garden culture are 2.5-4.5 cm in diameter and have five wide-open petals of various colors, in addition to shades of orange and yellow.

Geranium bushes are miniature and tall. Some new varieties of this plant do not break in heavy rain and wind. Garden geranium is beautiful even without flowers, it goes well with other plants, it is used to decorate garden plots.

Garden geranium: growing conditions

Garden geranium came to our gardens from foothills, meadows and edges. Care and cultivation of this crop does not take much time. Geranium is unpretentious to the soil on which it grows. But for abundant and long flowering, loose, fertile, well-ventilated is better suited. If the soil is clay, fertilize it with organic matter. An ideally prepared area for planting garden geraniums is one to which peat moss and manure have been added.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

An open and lighted place is loved by garden geraniums. Planting and caring for it does not take much time. Some species can grow in shaded areas on dry soil. The main thing is that it is rich in nutrients and well-drained. This plant has an average level of moisture requirement.

Planting garden geranium

Garden geranium is planted in early spring and early autumn. Planting and care in the open field begins with the preparation of the flower bed. To do this, you need to dig it up together with humus or moss. Then, with a sharp knife, you should divide the rhizome into parts or separate the side fragments from the bush and plant them. After that, water well and mulch the surface to retain moisture.

When planting, remember about the plant's ability to grow in breadth. Therefore, the area must be calculated taking into account the growth prospects. The distance between the bushes should be 25-30 centimeters. It must also be left because garden geranium does not like transplants. And the long distance allows the flower to grow for a long time in one place. You should not worry about this, after a year the plants will close together, the gaps will not be visible.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Some types of garden geraniums with large leaves and elongated petioles are planted at a distance of double the length of the petiole. In this case, the shape of the bush and decorativeness will be better preserved. Garden geranium is unpretentious for planting. Planting and maintenance is effortless. Plus, they don't take long.

Garden geranium: care

This garden culture is undemanding to care. It does not need to be weeded, as the branches of the bushes grow very densely, and there is no room for weeds to develop. Garden geranium does not need to loosen the soil either. Care for the free space between the bushes, if it has formed, can be replaced by mulching the soil.

Garden geraniums do not need pruning. When the flower has faded, there is no need to remove the inflorescences. They find their own place under the foliage. They hide so cleverly that the decorative effect of the plant is not disturbed.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Garden geranium can grow in a flowerbed with other flowers. Care and cultivation will have to be diversified. Geranium must be weeded until dense foliage appears and the soil loosened. Until the twigs are intertwined and form a solid carpet, apply mineral and organic fertilizers. On top of the fertilizer, you need to put a small layer, about five centimeters, of mulch. Throughout the summer, the plant needs watering. Geranium is a plant that is resistant to dryness. But this does not mean that it does not need to be watered at all.

This garden culture is not susceptible to various diseases and damage by pests, as it has a specific aroma with a content of phytoncides. It repels insects and infections. Thus, garden geranium protects not only itself from diseases and insects, but also growing plants in the neighborhood.

Reproduction

Garden geranium does not like transplanting. Planting a culture involves growing it in one place for at least ten years.This plant propagates by segments of rhizomes, cuttings and seeds.

To get an adult flowering plant in a short time, it is better to propagate the garden geranium by dividing the bush. It is recommended to dig it out of the soil before or after flowering.

For reproduction by rhizomes, only young shoots are selected. The buds of the plant should be well developed. All obsolete, faded parts must be removed. In a new place, garden geranium takes root well and gives new roots very quickly.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Garden geraniums can propagate by cut cuttings. Outdoor planting and care begins in early spring or mid-fall. At this time, the bush is pruned. For reproduction, any part of the plant should be planted in the ground, watered and covered with foil.

Seed planting

It propagates not only by rhizomes, but also by seeds of garden geranium. Seed planting takes a little longer. It is characteristic that with such reproduction the varietal qualities disappear, a completely different variety of this type of garden culture is obtained.

It is better to take fresh seeds for sowing. But collecting them is not easy. You need to be patient. The seeds are in capsules, the valves of which burst when ripe, and the seeds scatter in all directions. The pod with unripe seeds is green. And when they are ripe, it turns brown.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

But the shades of seed color are different and depend on the variety. You can put a paper bag on the pod, which will serve as a guarantee that the seeds will not scatter when fully ripe, and you will collect them. Of course, there is a lot of trouble, but it's worth it, because the seedlings will bloom next year.

It happens that garden geranium gives abundant self-seeding. Planting and grooming takes extra effort if you don't want the plant to multiply out of control. To do this, you need to cut off unripe seed pods and all faded flowers.

Garden geranium: how to keep it in winter?

The garden geranium winters well in the climatic conditions of our country. Planting and caring for in winter does not require much effort. Before the onset of the first frost, you need to cut the plant. Only small-grained geranium needs shelter for the winter with brushwood. All other species are highly winter-hardy and do not need shelter. The covering material for them is snow.

Views

A favorite plant of gardeners is garden geranium. Planting and care (there is a photo in the article) for all species is approximately the same. In floriculture, different types, varieties and forms of this garden culture have long been used. Separate tall and low plants.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Plants with a height of more than 50 cm belong to high ones. These are marsh geranium, Georgian, blood-red, forest, meadow, small-grained, flat-petaled.

Low - these are plants with a height of 10 to 50 cm. These include Himalayan, Dalmatian, large rhizome, ash, Pyrenean, Andris geraniums.

Diseases and pests

Garden geraniums are usually disease-free. But sometimes you can notice small damage with powdery mildew or brown spotting. To prevent the disease from spreading, you need to cut the plant right after flowering, after which it will become stronger. Young healthy leaves will appear on the geranium, which tolerate the cold season well. Large bushes, if they are damaged by some disease, must be mowed completely as soon as they fade. The plant will grow back and bloom a second time.

When affected by brown spot, all shoots are cut off and burned. But it should be noted that garden geranium can only become infected with a fungal infection in cold and rainy summers. The bush will not seriously suffer from this disease.

Rarely, but it happens that the roots are gnawed by the larvae of the furrowed beetle. The plant stops growing. The beetles eat the leaves and the edges dry out. You need to dig up the geranium and check the root. This should be done at night when the beetles are active.If larvae are found, remove them and spray the root and entire plant with the fungicide solution.

Garden geranium - beauty and legends

One can argue endlessly about the beauty of flowers. But not every flower is honored to be an object for versification. The authors of the poems are our contemporaries and poets of past centuries. Geranium is a symbol of home, warmth and comfort. It is also called her grandmother's flower. Now it is not the personification of something outdated, but a symbol of the family, home and familiar.

For many peoples of the world, geranium is a symbol of vigor, strength and health. Her flowers, according to popular belief, are an excellent love spell. Always carry them with you, and your beloved will pay attention to you. In India, white geranium grows at the entrance to any house. In this way, people protect themselves from snakes entering the dwelling, which avoid any contact with the white geranium during its flowering. Even leaflets are useful. If you put them in jam, you can avoid the appearance of mold.

Usage

Geraniums are the most reliable plants in horticulture. They bloom from late spring to the beginning of frost. Garden geranium is successfully used when decorating gardens, alpine hills, flower beds and lawns are framed with it. As a ground cover material, such types of geraniums are used, which have large roots. And tall varieties of this garden culture are planted next to perennial plants in mixed mixborders. Garden geranium looks good in the foreground of any area where it is a color spot. Spectacular bright flowers, beautiful leaves, the original shape of the bushes and a specific aroma will decorate any garden.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open fieldThe history of the cultivation of geraniums, or pelargoniums, has a centuries-old history, which has known surges in popularity and periods of oblivion, but the bright flowers of this plant and the spicy smell of foliage are known to everyone. Pelargonium lovers often plant flowers in flower beds in the summer, but in the fall they have to move to the "winter apartments" again. But few know that there are many types of garden geranium, which is not inferior to its room relative either in the beauty of flowering or in unpretentiousness. Perennial species have a lot of advantages that make it a welcome guest on any site.

Geranium species

Unlike room pelargonium, which was brought to Europe from South Africa, its relative, garden geranium, is widespread throughout Eurasia. It is not surprising that it easily took root in gardens and summer cottages, enduring harsh winters, rains and the scorching sun. Botanists have more than 200 species around the world, but in our country the following species are most often found in culture:

  • Balkan geranium, an inhabitant of the mountains of Southern Europe;
  • marsh geranium, often found on the territory of Russia and is distinguished by its special winter hardiness;
  • Himalayan geranium, characterized by a long flowering period;
  • blood-red geranium, lives in the wild in Europe and Russia;
  • garden geranium is a very popular hybrid with large flowers.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Despite the species diversity, all flowers form compact, neat bushes, have very decorative, lush foliage, which adorns the flowerbed even after flowering. You can appreciate the entire colorful palette of modern varieties - from white to sky blue and deep red - in the photo.

Planting and leaving

Geranium feels great outdoors, but its beauty will be fully revealed if the necessary care is provided. First of all, decide on the landing site:

  1. The plant requires a lot of light, but does not tolerate hot, scorching sunlight, so a bright place, slightly shaded at noon, is best suited.
  2. The flower easily adapts to light partial shade, almost without losing the splendor of flowering. A garden bed that's only half-day lit, or apple tree trunks are also great.
  3. Find out exactly the type and variety of the plant.Modern selection offers both dwarf bushes for borders, and rather powerful, up to 70 cm, medium and long-range plants.

As with many garden plants, you should prepare the soil in advance: remove weeds, dig up, apply humus or complex fertilization (it is better to do this at least a month before planting). Geranium does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore, on heavy soils, be sure to lay a drainage layer in the planting hole. You will have to dig a large hole: the flower is famous for its powerful, long roots.

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

Garden geranium is unpretentious

Adding soil, watering and mandatory mulching - numerous leaves actively evaporate moisture. For the same reason, it is worth closely monitoring the flower during the summer: in hot, dry weather, you need a little but regular watering. The plant itself will signal this - usually straightened and elastic leaves will slightly droop. Geranium will be grateful if in the spring you feed it with nitrogen fertilizer, and potassium-phosphorus supplements will prolong flowering. But even without that, she will delight you with lush greenery and bright flowers. For most varieties, shelter for the winter is not required.

When choosing neighbors for joint planting, pay attention to the color combination and architecture of the plants. Geranium is good on its own, but it also harmonizes perfectly with plants with large flowers (roses, peonies, dope), creating an excellent background with abundant carved foliage and small flowers. Next to decorative leafy species (hosts, periwinkle, yesnotka), a flowering bush will itself sparkle with new colors, and the neighborhood with cereals, thyme or catnip will give the flower bed the appearance of a natural lawn or forest edge.

Attention! Geranium seeds are easily scattered by the wind, therefore, so that new plants do not disturb the order in the flower bed, you need to collect fading flowers in time.

Reproduction

Geranium multiplies easily in three ways:

garden geranium long-term planting and care in the open field

  1. Seeds. The seeds of the plant are small, therefore, to collect them, it is better to wrap the withering flowers with thick cloth or paper. Usually sown before winter, rare varieties are best sown on seedlings in spring.
  2. Cuttings. The plant tolerates shearing well, so cuttings will not harm it. Young tops with 3-4 buds are placed in a vessel with water, at room temperature the roots will appear in 2-3 weeks. If cuttings are taken in the spring, young plants can be planted outdoors in the same season.
  3. Division of the bush. The easiest and most popular way. It allows not only to get a new plant with a good root system, but also to rejuvenate the old bush. It is better to carry out the procedure before the period of active growing season - in early spring or after flowering.

Attention! Geranium is magnificent is a hybrid species, therefore it propagates only by cuttings or dividing the bush.

Garden geranium has long been loved by gardeners for its unpretentious nature, bright flowering and ease of care. It is also used in folk medicine as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. Successful landings to you!

Unpretentious geranium in the garden: video

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