Scented Geraniums

I wish I could see how everyone’s gardens are doing. I see many front yard gardens that look absolutely gorgeous and unique. In my tiny vegetable garden, the tomatoes are getting bigger, but not coloring yet – still green. I have picked a few yellow summer squash, some beans, some peppers, and I see my cucumber vines are loaded with tiny cukes. I had a question from a reader who is unhappy with how peppers grow in Ohio as compared to Texas. The peppers I planted in containers look fantastic and are hung with lots of ripening peppers. This has been my experience in the past as well. The few I planted in the ground grew much more slowly and don’t look as vigorous, or produce as well. I don’t know why this is, but will continue to plant peppers in containers with fresh potting mix (I prefer Ferti-Lome) and some Osmocote (long acting fertilizer) and supplementary feedings of fish emulsion and seaweed powder.
About three weeks ago I purchased some scented geraniums (officially Pelargoniums) from a local business on Grand Ave. I was so impressed by the vigor of the geraniums and the variety I actually bought nine. Yes, I nearly always get carried away during plant shopping! Scented Geraniums are considered herbs, and are very easy to grow. I simply potted them all up in some clay pots and set them on a plant stand in a sunny area. I love to stop and smell the leaves each time I walk by. There are many cultivars (over 150, with about 50 variations of the rose-scented alone) of these scented geraniums. The plants originally come from South Africa. The varieties I purchased were – “Skeleton Rose,” “Snowflake”(with variegated velvety leaves), “Round Leaf Orange,” “Mint,” “Old Fashioned Rose,” “Velvet Rose,” ”Citronella,” “Apple,” and “Crispum Lemon.” They all bear attractive small delicate flowers as a bonus to their lovely leaves and yummy scent. I love to tear off a leaf and carry it to sniff as I go about my day. These can be wintered over in your house during winter, as they are not hardy. To prepare for winter, cut back by half or so, and place in a sunny window or under grow lights until late April, when they can be set outside again. What else can you do with the leaves of scented geraniums? One, you can add some of the leaves to your bathwater. Two, you can dry the leaves and add to tea mixtures or to potpourri. Three, you can place fresh leaves at the bottom of cake or muffin pans before adding the batter. As the product bakes, it will be infused with the scent of the leaf. When I got married, I harvested a few dozen of the highly attractive and fragrant leaves from a huge scented geranium my mother has, and had the cake baker decorate my cake with the leaves along with a few dozen roses. The effect was gorgeous and Victorian looking. If you would like to view excellent pictures of various types, try this website – www.hobbsfarm.com - they sell all sorts of geraniums – miniature, scented, fancy leaf, etc.
Another reader thought her Tricyrtis (Toad Lily) looked a little burnt on the edges, and wanted to know if she should add Miracle-Gro. Toad lilies occasionally do this in the first year, so I recommended she leave it alone. Sometimes one can hurt plants with too much “fussing.” Perennials do not need any fertilizer per se the first year. I do (if I have it on hand) use bone meal or Triple Super Phosphate in the planting hole initially. This stimulates good root growth and helps the plant get established. After that, I never actually “fertilize” perennials – I merely sheet compost as I described in last week’s column, or add some cow manure once a year. This is sufficient for perennials. For annuals, including vegetables, I do as I described for the peppers earlier – Osmocote, fish emulsion, and seaweed powder. I add nothing else, except monthly Epsom salts for roses, peppers, and tomatoes. Be careful of over watering as well. For most potted plants, wait until the soil is dry to water again. I gave my oldest daughter Sarah several containers of annuals for her apartment deck. She was enthusiastically watering daily (she is a chemist, not a gardener - yet!), and they started looking bad, until I found out and told her to cut back some on the watering. Next week - all about Dianthus and time to think about next spring!