THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603090080
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA XENAKIS, SPECIAL TO WEEDER'S DIGEST
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
SCENTED GERANIUMS are amazing plants, featuring a wide variety of alluring fragrances, including scents of rose, apple, coconut, cinnamon, strawberry, lemon, orange, peach, chocolate mint and peppermint.
Scented geraniums mix well in many gardens. They are easy to grow and do well indoors or out in containers. This group of plants is quickly gaining popularity with plant lovers.
The scent of scented geraniums is contained in small beads of oil produced in glands at the base of tiny leaf hairs. Brushing or crushing a leaf breaks the beads and releases the fragrance. Most varieties only need a casual brushing to produce a fragrance.
Scented geraniums are grown to use in potpourris, sleep pillows, sugars, jellies, cakes, teas and liqueurs. Some rose varieties are grown for perfumes.
These unusual geraniums were discovered in South Africa in the early 1600s in the search for rare plants for the royal gardens of Europe. They quickly gained popularity for their unusual scents and easy propagation. In Europe, they were easily kept on cottage windowsills during the winter.
Scented geraniums were also a favorite in Victorian gardens because their scents were released when leaves were brushed by the passing ladies' crinolines.
Because of their ability to withstand rugged treatment, they became well traveled and universally loved. They were brought to North America in the late 1700s. Colonial plantsmen listed 20 varieties.
When more showy plants became available, scented geraniums lost their popularity. With renewed interest in herbs in the mid-20th century, they once again are being collected and enjoyed.
Scented geraniums are more correctly identified as Pelargoniums. Pelargonium is derived from the Greek word Pelargos, which means ``stork,'' because the flower stalk resembles a stork's bill. Gardeners in Europe and South Africa refer to them as Pelargoniums but in the United States, we know them as scented geraniums.
Scented geraniums love the heat and are easy to grow. If grown in containers, the amount of sunlight required will depend on size of the plant and container. They tend to grow leggy, particularly when not receiving enough sun.
They should be pruned back after blooming and given a good feeding. The small-leaf varieties require small containers, and filtered light is best. If you grow them in containers, it is best to repot them each year.
Scented geraniums can tolerate winter temperatures in the upper 30s without severe damage. The large-growing varieties will do well in the ground, if temperatures stay above 20 degrees. With a heavy mulch, they should come back in the spring. This past winter will be a real test.
Several members of the Herb Society of America-Tidewater Unit have been successful keeping scented geraniums outside through the winter, using heavy mulch.
Instead of lifting the plant and bringing it indoors, try rooting cuttings in late summer or early fall and bring the cuttings in the house.
Some local growers keep scented geraniums in containers during summer and brings them in on a screened porch for winter. If the temperature gets below 30 degrees, a small heater can be put on the porch with the plants. MEMO: Linda Xanakis is a Master Gardener and member of the Herb Society of
America, International Herb Association, Virginia Herb Association. She
owns Linda's Garden in Virginia Beach, a nursery specializing in more
than 150 varieties of herbs and scented geraniums, as well as her own
herbal blends and vinegars. Linda's nursery opens in April. For a
catalog, write Linda's Gardens, 1436 Campbells Landing Road, Virginia
Beach, Va. 23457. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROBERT STIFFLER
Barbara Brawley tends a scented geranium.
Graphic
HERB EDUCATION DAY
A selection of scented geraniums will be available for sale May 4
at the Herb Society of America's Herb Education Day at the Tidewater
Community College Chesapeake Campus.
Jim Barrow, retired professor of biology at Hiram College, will
talk about scented geraniums. Barrow teaches a basic botany course
and one on propagation to Master Gardeners in Ohio.
KEYWORDS: WEEDER'S DIGEST by CNB