Garden geranium: meadow and others, their varieties, photos, care, properties

Characteristics of garden geranium

Garden geranium is a beautiful lush compact bush that is a herbaceous perennial. The height of the plant is varied: there are both low-growing and tall species.

The leaves are dense, carved with lace. There are different sizes and shapes - they have rounded or pointed edges.

The buds of the plant reach up to 5 cm in diameter and consist of approximately 5 petals. The color of geranium flowers has a wide color palette. There are all shades of red, white, pink, and purple. Plants of the geranium family have a pleasant sweet aroma.

The most important advantage of this species is its health: the flower is immune to drought, unpretentious in care and has excellent immunity.

Geranium in a flowerbed

Decorative varieties of geranium are bred from the ancestors of this plant, living in meadows and clearings. The flower has adapted well to the conditions of the wild; it is unpretentious and tenacious. Breeders noticed that the bush has beautiful carved leaves, which themselves can serve as decoration for a flower bed in the garden during the period between flowering, and they created many different varieties of ornamental plants. The color of the inflorescences is very diverse: blood-red, white, lilac - any except yellow and orange. You can plant one branch in your dacha, provide good care, and it will begin to grow and soon turn into a lush openwork island. There is one drawback - brittle stems, but scientists are working on this problem and have already created species whose beauty will not be spoiled by either rain or strong wind.

Why, among the huge number of perennial ornamental plants, do many owners of summer cottages like garden geranium? If you have time, energy and desire, you can plant roses, orchids and even completely exotic flowers that are accustomed to a tropical climate

And a person who comes to the dacha only on weekends and is forced to pay attention to the garden, vegetable garden, and flower garden in 2 days does not have the opportunity to provide complex care for capricious pets. He needs ornamental crops:

They grew in one place for many years and did not require annual planting.
They were not afraid of drought and did not require daily watering.
They tolerated frosty winters well.
They were not sick and were not attacked by pests.
Didn't require weeding.
They bloomed for a long time, but had an attractive appearance even without flowers.

Perennial garden geranium has all these qualities. Simple care, endurance and beauty of the plant attract the sympathy of summer residents.

There are many varieties of ornamental bushes. By combining different varieties, you can create an interesting composition covered with colorful bunches all summer long. While the plants are still young and the leaves do not cover the entire area, annual pelargonium will help fill the empty soil. They require approximately the same care, and in appearance, pelargonium is not very different from geranium and will not disrupt the style of the flower garden.

The difference between garden geranium and indoor geranium

The indoor geranium or pelargonium was grouped with the geranium in 1738, despite the fact that they are genetically different. Outwardly they are very similar, but have many differences. For example, plants belong to the same family, but they cannot interbreed.

The table discusses other distinctive features.

Sign	Sadovaya	Room
Habitat	Temperate climate zone - Mediterranean region, Belarus, Central Asia, regions of the mountainous Caucasus, Siberia and the Far East.	Mainly South Africa.
Sensitivity to weather	Feels great in open ground all year round and is very frost-resistant.	Heat-loving, wintering exclusively indoors. It can only be in the open ground during the summer season.
Seeds	"Geranius" comes from the Greek word for "crane". It’s not without reason that the seeds resemble the head of this bird in appearance.	"Pelargonium" means "stork". Similarly.
Flowers	They consist of 5-8 petals of the correct shape, they, in turn, form inflorescences, in which there are about 5 such flowers.	Petals of various irregular shapes form flowers of multiple inflorescences.
Stamens	To 10.	Until 7.
Color	There are no red shades in nature.	Blue ones are not found.

Types and varieties of geraniums

Recently, the popularity of using the plant in landscape design has been increasing due to its interesting appearance and properties, such as frost resistance and unpretentiousness.

There are about 400 varieties of geranium. There is a conditional division according to the height of the bush: low ones up to 50 cm, high ones - over 50 cm. Generally speaking, on the territory of Russia 4 large species can be distinguished:

large-rhizome crane grass;
dark brown cranebird;
southern European cranebird;
fur-flowered geranium.

View	Description	Varieties and hybrids
Bolotnaya	A perennial with branched short roots. The height of the bush is about 30-70 cm. The buds are 4 cm in girth, 2-3 per inflorescence, mostly lilac in color. Flowering is observed in the first two summer months. It prefers humidity, so it grows in areas with swamps, meadows and forests. Habitat: European Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. The plant is valued for its healing qualities: help with colic, ear diseases, gout, diseases of the genitourinary system, rheumatism; normalization of heart rate.	–
Gorgeous	A very beautiful spreading shrub about 60 cm. Blue flowers form inflorescences of 2-3 flowers. Flowering can be observed throughout the summer months. The most interesting thing about this species is the leaves. They have a fluffy dissected shape and have an interesting feature - in the fall they turn from green to red.	Alan Mayes, Blue Blood, Mrs. Kendall Clark, Rosemoor.
Georgian	An unpretentious bush that grows up to 80 cm in height. You can find the plant in nature in the meadows of the Caucasus. The roots are remarkable - they contain natural black coloring pigments. Volumetric buds of a purple hue with dark inclusions. The flowering period is from July to September. The foliage is fluffy with a very interesting polygonal sharp green-grayish shape.	–
Red-brown	Carpathian bush up to 80 cm in height with large basal leaves. They have an interesting shape and pattern: dark purple stripes appear on a grayish tint towards the end of summer. The plant has small purple flowers, the petals of which have wavy edges, bloom in July-August.	Langthorn's Blue, Lily Lovell, Samobor, Album.
Blood red	A hemispherical shrub with a height of about 60 cm. Its distinctive feature is its large single flowers, fuchsia or purple color. Blooms all summer. The leaves of the plant will change color to red in autumn. This type of geranium has healing properties and is used for: viruses, fungi, infections, germs and bleeding. Tinctures are often used	Alan Bloom, Apfelbute, Ankum's Pride, Canon Miles, Elke, Nana, Prostratum.
Lesnaya	Shrub 80 cm tall with purple flowers. Flowering is very short, only 3 weeks starting in May or June. It grows in the wild in Western Siberia, Central Asia, and Europe.	Mayflower, Album, Birch Lilac.
Lugovaya	The plant develops only in well-lit areas of Eurasia. It has large flowers of various colors: from red to blue, from blue to purple. Monthly flowering begins in June. It has a green coloring pigment. It is used in medicine as a sedative, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent.	Algera Double, Cluden Sapphire, Ilja, Splish Splash. Jonson's Blue, Brookside, Kashmir Blue, Orion.
Small-stamen or Armenian	Perennial, reaching 1.2 m with long leaves. Their color changes depending on the season: in the summer they will turn green, in the spring they will turn crimson, and in the fall they will turn red. The plant blooms in June, the flowers are small and fuchsia in color.	Bressingham Flair, Ann Folkard.
Flat petal	A spherical perennial shrub, up to half a meter tall and up to 1 m in girth. It has pubescent green leaves and purple flowers.	–
Endressa or Perenean	Due to its geographical growth, it is a bush with long roots, spreading, half a meter high. Large green leaves about 10 cm long and small pink flowers. Loves well-drained soil and partial shade.	Beholder's Eye, Wargrave Pink, Betty Catchpole.
Himalayan	It has developed roots, the height of the bush is no more than 60 cm. The leaves are dissected in shape with large buds with a girth of up to 5 cm. They are painted in colors from blue to purple, with red veins. Flowering from late spring until early autumn. Loves loose and well-drained soil. It can be found in the territories of Afghanistan, Tibet, Tajikistan and Himalayan meadows.	Baby blue, Gravetye, Irish Blue, Plenum and hybrids Johnson's Blue and Rozanne.
Dalmatian	A low bush up to 15 cm high and 50 cm wide with small flowers of pale pink color. Blooms in summer. The leaves are dissected and become red when the temperature drops greatly. Grows in Montenegro and Albania.	–
Ashy	Small bush with bright pink flowers. Flowering lasts only 20-40 days from the first month of spring. The leaves are grayish-greenish in color, have a dissected shape, about 5 cm in length. They live in Albanian and Balkan meadows.	Ballerina, Splendens, Subcaulescens.
Renard	A perennial plant with a thick rhizome, about 30 cm tall. It has pimply olive-colored leaves and white flowers with purple gaps. The homeland of this geranium is the Caucasus.	–
Roberta	Half a meter tall plant. The foliage is similar to fern leaves and may change color to orange in the fall. The flowers are small, light pink. The stem is covered with small reddish hairs. The species is notable for the fact that it grows quietly in high mountain areas and prefers shade. Grows in the forests of Eurasia and North America.	–
Wallich	The low ground cover grows up to 30 m in height and up to half a meter in width. It has long leaves and large purple flowers with a white center. Flowering period from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Found in northeast Afghanistan and Kashmir.	Buxton's Variety, Buxton's Blue, Syabru, Crystal Lake.
Large rhizomatous or Balkan	A spherical, low-growing shrub with branched roots. The variety is tolerant to lighting. The leaves are round in shape and divided into parts. The rich green color turns red in autumn. The flowers come in bright colors: pink, purple. The plant has a pleasant smell. Habitat: Alps and Balkans. Its roots can be used as a natural flavoring in cooking. Geranium oil has wound healing and soothing properties.	Bevan's Variety, Czakor, Lohfelden, Ingwersen's Variety, Inversen, Spessart, Variegata.
Cantabrian	A hybrid obtained from crossing Dalmatian and large-rhizome geraniums. The miniature perennial has glossy leaves and small flowers in white, pink and purple.	Westray, St. Ole, Biokovo, Cambridge.

Propagation of garden perennial geranium

The crane bird can be propagated in two ways:

Seed is a labor-intensive and difficult method. As a result, it turns out that some geraniums are not able to produce their own seeds, and some reproduce on their own and disperse them. To propagate in this way, it is necessary to choose the most attractive species that will bloom only after a year.
Vegetative or cutting is a method of dividing part of the root. It is recommended to carry out this procedure in the spring. First you need to prepare the soil: add compost and peat fertilizers. Next, the sprout should be planted in such soil. In the future, it is necessary to ensure regular watering and feed the seedling a month after planting.

Plant propagation

Geranium is propagated by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. As mentioned above, seed propagation is quite difficult. The quality of the material greatly influences the germination of seeds.

It is best to sow seeds before winter, planting them to a depth of 0.5 centimeters to 0.7 centimeters. The planted seeds are covered with film. After germination, the film can be removed.

There is another way to grow geraniums from seeds - plant the seeds in peat pots, grow seedlings and then plant the grown plant in a permanent place. Geraniums grown in pots are usually planted in the spring, when warm days arrive.

In the second year of cultivation, it is necessary to pick seedlings planted directly into the ground.

Geraniums grown from seeds usually bloom only in the third year.

Garden geraniums often propagate by self-sowing. This allows you to constantly update the appearance of your garden or plot. But often self-seeding interferes with the development of other plants or disrupts a certain species. In order to prevent self-seeding, it is enough to collect unripe seed pods in time.

Most often, two other methods are used for propagation - cuttings and dividing the bush.

Cuttings are carried out as follows:

take a strong young twig (necessarily with a bud) and place it in a container with water
after a while the roots appear
cuttings with roots can be planted in the ground

It is best to do this in the spring, when the weather is already warm enough. This will allow the cuttings to take root well.

The next method is to divide an adult bush.

Dividing the bush should be done in autumn or early spring. Geranium does not really like to be disturbed and change its “residence” in the summer. To divide the bush, follow the following steps.

Carefully and carefully (to cause less damage to the root) we dig up the bush and carefully examine it for the presence of growth buds.
Use a sharp knife to divide it into several parts so that each part contains a kidney.
We plant each resulting bush in a prepared place.
We water the planted bush well.
Mulching the ground under the bush

Planting and caring for garden geraniums

Planting is best done in autumn or spring. It is necessary to prepare the soil: add peat or humus. The soil needs to be watered and mulched. Before planting, divide the roots of the plant. When planting them, it is recommended to maintain a distance of approximately 30 cm between them.

Growing undemanding geraniums is not difficult. Once a year it is enough to feed the soil with mineral fertilizers. Water regularly, maintaining average humidity. It fits well with other plants. The flower is resistant to diseases and pests, as it has a scent that is repulsive to them.

Care

First of all, you need to choose the place where it would be best to plant geranium; this is a very important condition. Everything will depend on the variety. Some varieties of garden geranium prefer open sunny areas, while others prefer moist and dark soil. For example, for Black Beauty geranium it is advisable to choose a shaded place, while perennial geranium prefers to grow in a sunny place. Ground cover geranium also loves shade.

If you want to grow a bright and lush bush in the future, you need to purchase high-quality seedlings.

Care is carried out according to the following rules:

The soil should be light so that moisture and air penetrate well into it.
It is important to regularly moisten the soil. As soon as the geranium is planted, the soil is moistened regularly and abundantly; later the number of waterings is reduced, except during dry periods. But excessive waterlogging can lead to geranium diseases. Therefore, you need to follow the watering rules.
Feeding should be in moderation. It is better to use complex mineral supplements.
Faded buds need to be removed in a timely manner. This is required so that new inflorescences can bloom unhindered.
The ground cover type of geranium does not require frequent mulching and loosening of the soil.
The roots of most geraniums grow strongly; this must be taken into account when choosing a site for planting. Typically, several bushes are planted at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. Garden perennial flowers, including geraniums, do not tolerate transplantation well. Therefore, thanks to the correctly calculated distance between the bushes, garden geranium can grow and please the eye for many years.
Garden geranium does not require shelter for the winter; it usually tolerates cold well.

Despite the fact that the plant easily adapts to any soil, you should often loosen the soil and fertilize it, only then will the geranium delight you with abundant and long-lasting flowering. It is most often recommended to add peat moss and manure to the substrate.

To prevent the plant from getting sick or being overcome by pests, it is necessary to take preventive measures :

In spring, nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil under the bush. A month after this, complex feeding is carried out.
After the plant blooms, it is advisable to add potassium and phosphorus to the soil.

Wintering

Geranium is a frost-resistant plant.

It can be safely left in the open ground for the entire winter period. To do this, you just need to cut off excess shoots and leaves.

However, indoor geranium, pelargonium, does not tolerate low temperatures, and therefore it is better to send it to insulated rooms for the winter. A glass balcony or loggia is ideal for this, where the temperature does not drop below +12…+15 °C. That is why it is recommended to plant geraniums in flowerpots, pots or flowerpots before the cold season. Do not dig it up or replant it from open ground.

Botanical description, history and price

It is a perennial herbaceous plant or subshrub. The stems and leaves are different. It depends on the type of plant. There are about 200 species and 1000 varieties. It grows naturally in Africa.

It appeared in Europe in the 17th century. Previously, the plant was called geranium, and only at the end of the 18th century it was separated into a separate genus of geraniums and began to be called pelargonium. Unlike geranium, which is frost-resistant, pelargonium is a very heat-loving plant. This plant can be purchased at any flower shop. The cost of such a bush can vary from 250 to 650 rubles.

Pests and diseases

Thanks to its aroma, geranium repels pests from itself and neighboring plants. If, after all, pests have affected it, it is necessary to trim the bush at the root, and the cut parts must be burned outside the flowerbed so that the soil does not become infected. Most diseases occur during heavy rains.

The most common pests of geraniums:

Aphids - get rid of by spraying the bush with a specific solution.
Goose - pose a danger for a week, after this period the poisons disappear. To fight, it is enough to collect it from the plant with your hands.
Whitefly - use the drug “Iskra”.

Geraniums have another ailment - the leaves turn yellow. This happens when there is insufficient hydration. If the foliage falls off, it means that the plant does not have enough lighting.

Mr. Summer resident advises: beneficial properties of geranium and contraindications

In folk medicine, geranium is used in the form of decoctions, tinctures and oils that improve human health.

From the roots of the plant you can obtain geranium oil, which has medicinal properties and contraindications. The oil is rich in glucose, fructose, tannins, and vitamins. It is used for viral diseases, inflammation, fatigue and nervous disorders.

Take with caution for allergy sufferers. It is imperative to remember that you should not self-medicate; you should use substances based on garden geranium for health benefits on the recommendation of a doctor. Also, it is better not to drink decoctions for older people.