5 Reasons Why You Should Grow Geraniums. Show Them Off!

Every year, I can’t wait for spring to arrive. Spring is my favorite season (along with fall). The divine smell of fresh air and moist soil. Young leaves, wearing the most beautiful shade of green. Nature is awakening. Another thing that’s awakening is my plant-growing passion, since the time of geraniums is here again! My balcony will be full of colorful flowers. And I’ll find myself smiling, taking care of them.

Geraniums bring me joy for several years now. Do you have a balcony or a sunny window? Would you like to decorate it with heavenly flowers that will bloom until the first frost? Take a look at 5 reasons, why geraniums might be the right choice. Geraniums are so pretty and grateful plants. It’s still not late to plant some. Get them fingers a bit soily. You got this!

1. Breathtaking Color Palette of Flowers

Geraniums (or pelargoniums, the two names are used interchangeably, even though there are differences) are one of the most decorative balcony plants. We grow them especially for the striking beauty of the flowers. Their distinct spherical bright-colored inflorescences rise above the dense, palm-shaped, green foliage with thick stems. Geraniums are also lightly scented if bruised.

The most popular colors of geranium flowers are various shades of red. There’s a wide range of other colorful varieties too. Would you prefer your geraniums in peach, salmon, white, lilac, or bi-colored? No problem. There are thousands of cultivars out there. When you go geranium shopping, you’ll notice that the color shade of the flowers tends to be included in the name of the cultivar. So the plant tag will read, after the two-word name of the plant (e.g. Pelargonium zonale), something like ‘Coral’ or ‘Double Light Pink’.

Hanging? Upright? Large flowered? Or scented? There are over 200 types of natural varieties of geraniums and other plentiful varieties created by breeding. Geraniums are native to southern Africa, from where they were imported to Europe. Since then, there have been thousands of hybrids, and geraniums became a subject of interest for many growers and collectors. In general, there are four types of geraniums:

• Zonal Geraniums – Pelargonium zonale. This upright geranium is the one I prefer to grow. They’re best suited for balconies and best grown in a planter box.
• Ivy Geraniums – Pelargonium peltatum. Hanging and trailing geraniums stand out in hanging baskets or window boxes.
• Regal Geraniums – Pelargonium grandiflorum. As their Latin name suggests, this type of geraniums produces big beautiful showy flowers.
• Scented Geraniums – Pelargonium graveolens/ radens/ fragrans/ capitatum. Leaves of these geraniums smell like roses, apples, or mint. In fact, there’s even more varieties than listed above.

2. Balcony Blooming from Spring to Fall

Waterfalls of colorful geraniums transform your balcony or terrace into a cute oasis. Good news is that they bloom relentlessly from spring to fall! Geranium flowers always instantly remind me of home, summer, vacation… I also think of pure mountain air. Just imagine a picturesque chalet in the Alps, lush geranium flowers in bright red, trailing down each of those cozy windows. Der Bergdoktor, the 90’s TV show, comes to my mind. What I liked the most about it was the pristine nature and geranium-decorated doctor’s house in the mountains. :o)

Can geraniums go out of style? I find them a timeless classic for balconies, windows, gardens. I often see even public places, like squares or parks, decorated with geraniums. So we can say that your flowering window contributes to more beautiful public space. Hey, you never know, your blooming balcony might brighten up a passerby’s day. Or become a source of inspiration.

3. Satisfying and Hassle-free Care

Location: Geraniums are fast growers and flower constantly all season long. Therefore they constantly give you this sweet rewarding feeling of a job well done. I say job, but growing geraniums is a real pleasure. These plants are not very picky in terms of location, they will grow in full sun or partial shade. Yes, geraniums prefer sunny spots, they even tolerate almost blistering hot south-facing location with the sun shining directly all day. I confirm that these stunning beauties can handle it extremely well.

Planter and soil: If you’re asking which type of planter suits geraniums the best, rest assured it’s a window box planter, especially the self-watering one. The right time to plant geraniums is usually May, you can totally still do it in June. The soil I like to use is a substrate made specifically for pelargoniums. A flowering balcony plants potting mix is fine too. Geraniums are hardy plants, usually avoided by pests and diseases.

Regular plant care: During the season, from time to time you pour water into the opening of the self-watering planter (there is a water gauge, so you’ll know when and how much water to pour in). Simple as that! About once every two weeks, add a little water-soluble fertilizer and water the plants with it the same way. And in the morning (at least I like to do that in the morning), when the air is fresh, birds are singing, while enjoying your morning coffee, you can pinch off the dried flowers and leaves in the process to keep your geraniums thriving and blooming.

4. A Better Plant for The Money Spent

Another reason why geraniums and pelargoniums are so popular and why you should start growing them right away :o) is their good availability. The plant care is easy and from early spring geranium seedlings can be bought anywhere. Price is usually not an obstacle either. Geraniums are quite an inexpensive type of plant; my first geraniums cost me tens of CZK per seedling a few years ago. And within a month or so the planters were already overflowing with gorgeous flowers.

The good news is far from over. You can think of the purchase price as an investment. If you overwinter your geraniums after the season and they will see through spring, there is no need to buy new ones! Pelargoniums are also easily propagated by cuttings, either in late summer or early spring. This way you can grow your own seedlings.

5. Chasing “likes”? Make Some Plant Friends Instead

The finish line is in sight. Are you preparing your planters? :o) Surprisingly, a solitary hobby like growing plants can help you find friends. The human aspect is another reason why growing geraniums might be beneficial to you, and your social life. A vigorously flowering balcony won’t get unnoticed. Perhaps by a curious neighbor, the lady next door. And maybe thanks to the small talk about geraniums, you will find out that your neighbors are not so terrible beings (they might realize the same thing about you).

Geraniums might improve your relationships. The same way people collect stamps or comic books (yeah, these days people chase likes and “collect” follows on social media), you can hunt for a geranium variety you don’t have yet by exchanging the cuttings with plant enthusiasts.

I successfully practice bartering geraniums with my mom. She “runs” this kind of “business” with her neighbor. And let me tell you, the geraniums my mom and I had from that neighbor last year, they were so unique and beautiful. These geraniums flowered in creamy white with an orange center, smelling divine. These were the fragrant geraniums, you know? … :o)

Have a blooming summer either way, with or without geraniums. 🌿

-Miss Amaryllis-

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Which color of geraniums is your favorite? 🌺

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