Garden geranium is a favorite culture of gardeners. Because of the beautiful inflorescences and decorative bush, it has become popular. The name of the flower is associated with the shape of the fruit, which resembles a crane beak or a stork's beak. This flower is called differently in different countries: in Germany it is a “stork nose”, in England and America it is a “crane”, and in Bulgaria it is a “health resort”. In Russia, this flower got its name from the Greek word "geranium".
Geranium is an unpretentious, widespread plant. 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 geraniums have been bred. They are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions of our country, tolerate winter well and have high vitality. Garden geranium attracts specialists and lovers in the field of selection with its amazing quality - ease of cultivation.
Garden geranium: description
Garden geraniums should not be confused with pelargonium. Geraniums are perennials. And pelargoniums belong to the genus of annual crops. These both plants are from the Geranium family, but belong to different genera. Geranium became a well-known garden culture due to its ability to grow in open ground, so it began to be grown in gardens and flower beds.
White, red, pink, purple flowers are garden geraniums. Landing and care are quite easy. This plant is a compact bush with delicate leaves of various sizes, which grows and forms a thick carpet. The leaves of geraniums are with rounded and pointed edges, with segments of large and small sizes. The flowers of this garden culture measuring 2.5-4.5 cm in diameter have five wide-open petals of various colors, except shades of orange and yellow.
Geranium bushes are miniature and tall. Separate new varieties of this plant do not break with heavy rain and wind. Garden geranium is beautiful even without flowers, goes well with other plants, it decorates garden plots.
Garden geranium: growing conditions
Came to our gardens from the foothills, meadows and edges of the garden geranium. Care and cultivation of this crop does not take much time. Geranium is unpretentious to the soil on which it grows. But for plentiful and long flowering, loose, fertile, well-ventilated is better. If the soil is clay, it should be fertilized with organic matter. An ideally prepared area for planting garden geraniums is that in which peat moss and manure were added.
An open and lighted place like garden geranium. Landing and caring for it does not require 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 demand.
Planting garden geraniums
In early spring and early autumn, garden geraniums are planted. Planting and care in the open ground begin with the preparation of flower beds. To do this, dig it along with humus or moss. Then with a sharp knife should divide the rhizome into parts or separate the side fragments from the bush and plant them. After that, thoroughly water and mulch the surface to preserve moisture.
When planting, remember the ability of the plant 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 the garden geranium does not like transplants. A large 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, there will be no gaps.
Some types of garden geraniums with large leaves and elongated petioles are planted at a distance of double the length of the petiole. At the same time, the shape of the bush and decorativeness are better preserved. Unpretentious for planting garden geraniums. Landing and care are effortless. In addition, they do not take much time.
Garden Geranium: Care
This garden culture is undemanding to care. It does not need to be weeded, since the branches of the bushes grow very densely, and there is no room for weeds to develop. Garden geranium also does not need loosening the soil. 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 fades, it is not necessary to remove the inflorescences. They themselves find a place under the foliage. They hide so deftly that the decorativeness of the plant is not disturbed.
Can grow on a flower bed with other flowers garden geranium. Care and cultivation will have to be diversified. Geranium should be weeded until thick foliage appears and the soil should be loosened. Until the twigs are entwined and form a continuous carpet, add mineral and organic fertilizers. On top of the fertilizer you need to put a small layer, five centimeters, mulch. Throughout the summer, the plant needs watering. Geranium is a plant resistant to dryness. But this does not mean that it does not need to be watered at all.
This garden crop is not susceptible to various diseases and damage by pests, as it has a specific aroma with the content of volatile. It repels insects and infections. Thus, garden geranium protects from diseases and insects not only itself, but also neighboring plants.
Breeding
He does not like transplant garden geraniums. Planting a culture implies its growth in one place for at least ten years. This plant propagates by rhizome segments, cuttings and seeds.
To obtain an adult flowering plant in a short time, it is better to propagate garden geranium by dividing the bush. It is recommended to dig it out of the soil before flowering or after it.
For propagation by rhizomes, only young shoots are selected. The buds of the plant must be well developed. All obsolete, faded parts must be removed. In a new place, garden geraniums take root well and very quickly produce new roots.
Cut cuttings can propagate garden geranium. Outdoor planting and care begin in early spring or mid-autumn. At this time, pruning the bush. For propagation, any part of the plant is enough to plant in the ground, water and cover with a film.
Seed planting
Propagated not only by rhizomes, but also garden geranium seeds. Planting with seeds takes a little longer. It is characteristic that with such propagation 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. Seeds are in boxes, the leaves of which burst when ripe, and the seeds scatter in all directions. The pod with unripe seeds is green. And when they ripen, it turns brown.
But the shades of seed color are different and depend on the variety. You can put a paper bag on the pod, which will guarantee that the seeds do not fly apart when fully ripened, and you collect them. Of course, there is a lot of trouble, but it's worth it, because next year the seedlings will bloom.
It happens that gives abundant self-seeding garden geranium. Planting and care require additional effort if you do not want uncontrolled propagation of the plant. To do this, crop immature seed boxes and all faded flowers.
Garden geranium: how to keep it in winter?
Winter geraniums are excellent winters in the climatic conditions of our country. Planting and care in winter do not require much effort. Before the onset of the first frosts, you need to trim the plant. Only small stamen geraniums need 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.
Kinds
Favorite gardeners plant - garden geranium. Landing and care (photo is in the article) for all species are approximately the same. In floriculture, different species, varieties and forms of this garden culture have long been used. Separate tall and low plants.
Plants with a height of more than 50 cm are high. These are marsh geranium, Georgian, blood red, forest, meadow, small stamen, flat petal.
Low - these are plants with a height of 10 to 50 cm. These include Himalayan, Dalmatian, large-rhizome, ash, Pyrenean, Endris geranium.
Diseases and Pests
Garden geraniums are usually not susceptible to disease. But sometimes you may notice slight damage by powdery mildew or brown spotting. To prevent the disease from spreading, you need to cut the plant immediately after flowering, after which it will become stronger. Young healthy leaves will appear on the geraniums, which tolerate the cold season well. Large bushes, if they were damaged by some disease, must be mowed completely as soon as they fade. The plant will grow again and bloom a second time.
In case of brown spotting, all shoots are cut and burned. But it should be noted that garden geranium can become infected with a fungal infection only in the cold and rainy summers. A bush from this disease will not be seriously affected.
Rarely, but it happens that the roots gnaw the larvae of the beetle scorpius beetle. The plant stops growing. Beetles eat leaves, and their edges dry out. You need to dig out the geranium and check the root. You need to do this at night when the bugs are active. If you find larvae, remove them and spray the root and the whole plant with a 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. Also called her grandmother's flower. Now this is not an embodiment of something outdated, but a symbol of the native, home and familiar.
In many nations of the world, geraniums are 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 loved one will pay attention to you. In India, white geraniums grow at the entrance to any home. In this way, people are protected from snakes entering the house, which avoid any contact with white geranium during its flowering. Even leaflets bring benefits. If they are put in jam, mold can be avoided.
Using
Geraniums are the most reliable plants in gardening. They bloom from late spring to the start of frost. Garden geranium has been successfully used to decorate gardens, alpine slides, it is framed by flower beds and lawns. As ground cover material, these types of geraniums are used that have large roots. And tall varieties of this garden culture are planted next to perennials in mixed mixborders. Garden geranium looks good in the foreground of any site 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.
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