Geranium a real winner

Are you also such a big fan of the Geranium with its beautiful red, pink, white or even bicoloured flowers? This trendy border plant blooms tirelessly from May until the first frost in autumn.

The Geranium has been one of our most popular garden plants for decades. You can find them in all sorts, sizes and summery shades. A real winner in the flower box, but it also shines as a border plant in combination with other perennials, such as Echinacea, Sedum and Lavandula.

What is the difference between Geranium and Pelargonium?

We popularly call both species Geranium, but the real Geraniums are the hardy garden geraniums. The summer flowers that we plant in pots or flower boxes are the Pelargoniums. These are not winter hardy and during the winter months it is better to give them a temporary home in the house, the greenhouse or in the veranda.

Which Pelargonium species should I choose?

• Zonal geranium/Horse-shoe pelargonium (Pelargonium zonale)

You can recognise it by its velvety hairy leaves. These form a soft & downy layer. This species usually has a distinctive dark brown stripe on the top of its leaves.

• Cascading geranium (Pelargonium peltatum)

These ones have more shiny leaves. They are available in all sorts of summery shades, such as red, pink, purple... and also look great in hanging baskets.

• French geranium/Show pelargonium (Pelargonium grandiflorum)

They bloom abundantly with large, trumpet-shaped flowers in clusters. They have not stolen their name, as we often see these colourful plants adorning the typical small French balconies.

This is how to get the most beautiful flowers in your garden!

Geraniums thrive best in the semi-shade. Pelargoniums, on the other hand, are real sun-worshippers. Because Pelargoniums make the most of the sun, these plants like a bit of water. However, they do not like wet feet, so provide a layer of hydro- or clay granules when you plant them in a flower box or pot. This will ensure that all excess water is absorbed. Add plant food to the watering schedule every fortnight so that you can enjoy an exuberant sea of flowers for a long time!

Tip from Marcel

Regularly remove spent flowers to ensure that new flower buds can be formed quickly.