As Spring is on its way out the Geraniums in our garden continue to flower and flourish. My love affair with geraniums started a few years ago and I unfailingly plant many of them every year. They arrive in Mid-November in the market as saplings and come in multiple colors. The markings on the leaves normally indicate the color. If it is fully green and has no variegation it would most likely be white. The red varieties have very strong markings.
Here in the Gulf, we grow them between November to Late April. The temperature from May onwards grows too hot for them. They need fairly rich but well-draining soil with at least 4 to 6 hours of bright sunlight. If you do move them to the shade in the summer from May onwards, they will still produce flowers for a bit, but the humidity gets to them eventually. Therefore, it is best to treat them as annuals here. They are prone to caterpillar infestations as well as mealy bugs so check them for that regularly. Over-watering and under-watering lead to yellow leaves so check the soil before you water. Also fertilize regularly at least once a month. You can alternate between a foliar spray and a soil drench.
You can grow them from seeds however, I have not had much success with that. If you do try with seeds, start the seeds in mid-September. Plant in a seed starter mix or a mix of potting soil and peat moss with some perlite. Once the saplings are about 6-8 inches tall you can transplant them to your beds.
There is also a variety called Trailing geraniums or Ivy Geraniums. They do beautifully well in hanging baskets and love bright sunshine in the winter here. The care is similar to the traditional geraniums and as I said it is better to treat them as annuals here although they are said to be perennial.
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