Planting geraniums in the spring and caring for the culturecan be seen in almost all regions with a temperate, subtropical and even tropical climate. In the culture of perennial garden geranium was introduced by the ancient Greeks and for the similarity of fruit with long bird's beaks was called geranion, that is, crane. Geraniums in the Garden: A Guest from the Wildlife
There is an opinion that the name stuck to the plants with delicate foliage and delicate flowers as early as the 1st century of the new era thanks to Dioscorida. Then, perennial street geranium from the Middle Ages, which has found application in the household and medical business, has been popular in Europe. And in Russia in the front gardens, it appeared in the XVIII century. The distribution and diversity of species led to the fact that the name Geraniaceae received a whole family, which included about 400 species of geraniums and more than 200 species of South African pelargoniums.
In the wild, geraniums prefer to settle in the meadows, under the shade of coniferous and deciduous forests, in the mountains and along rivers. Cultural varieties of perennial geraniums:
- preserved the unpretentiousness of natural plants, their adaptability to harsh winters, dry summer;
- has become more decorative and vibrant, some of them bloom twice in a season, they are distinguished by variegated foliage and especially large flowers.
In addition to simple flowers inherent to the overwhelming majority of geraniums, garden, perennial varieties and hybrids can please a grower with terry flowering, as well as shades that cannot be found in a meadow or in a forest glade overgrown with geranium.
Geranium in the garden varies in size and shape of the bush, color range, color and type of foliage. Most plants have flat or bowl-shaped corolla, consisting of five petals with pronounced veins. The leaves of the geranium are no less beautiful than its flowers. Depending on the species, they can be even green or variegated, rounded or fancifully dissected.
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Reproduction of perennial street geranium
When you create comfortable conditions for growth, the ripe fruit of the plant spontaneously expands - the seeds fly apart far away around. And in the spring shoots are found far from the main planting of geraniums.
On the one hand, self-seeding allows you to update and unobtrusively change the look of the garden. On the other hand, with regular planting, the geraniums themselves sprouting in the garden are not the most pleasant surprise. In order to avoid self seeding, it is better to remove immature fruits.
If the florist is going to use his own seeds for sowing, he will have to solve a difficult task. Drying ripe fruits instantly open, and immature seeds may not give the desired seedlings. Therefore, in advance, the tops of peduncles with fruits are hidden in small canvas bags and tied underneath to keep the seeds inside.
Due to the troublesome process and unguaranteed seedling, seed for the reproduction of garden perennial geranium is used infrequently. It is much more efficient and easier to get a new plant by dividing an adult bush.
Storing and caring for geraniums before planting at the cottage in the spring
If you already have geraniums in the garden or on the street, you can divide the bush and plant it in early autumn. When the rhizome with bud buds has to be bought and there is no possibility to plant geranium into the ground before the onset of cold weather, it is important to keep the rhizome dense and viable.
It is important to remember that peripheral roots are well developed in perennial street geraniums. For planting material, this part of the root system should be preserved before planting, and later provide the plant with nutrition and moisture.
For this, rhizomes are poured over with peat and placed in a container or perforated bag. In this form, the future garden geranium should be at 1–4 ° C until it is planted. Peat substrate should be slightly moistened, making sure that the roots are not dry or rot. The container is chosen in such a way that the roots are completely covered with soil and not intertwined.
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. If the plant, even in a basement or refrigerator, begins to grow, it should be moved to a bright, cool room. Here, a perennial garden geranium is waiting for planting in deep containers and a light nutrient primer and ordinary care, providing for the moistening of the substrate.
The easiest and most reliable option for planting and caring for many years of garden geraniums is to purchase planting material with a closed root system. Such seedlings easily take root and can be transferred to the ground in almost any warm season.
When can I plant geraniums on the street? Plants do not suffer much from freezing, and most species quickly start growing in a new place. Therefore, when soil is heated to 15–18 ° C, the rhizomes can be transplanted into open ground. Depending on the region and weather conditions, most often this time comes in the first half of May. With the threat of night frosts, unrooted geraniums in the garden should be covered with non-woven material.
Planting geraniums in the garden and caring for the culture.
Flower growers that exist today in ornamental garden geraniums owe an interest to this plant breeders from Holland and Great Britain. Despite the fact that these cultivated species have become brighter, their blooming is more abundant and longer, the geraniums in the garden require the selection of conditions close to those in which their wild ancestors grew.
When geraniums are planted in the open ground in spring, the site for planting is selected depending on the variety and type:
- Meadow, Himalayan or magnificent geranium outside will actively grow and bloom if the plants are in the sun and they are provided with abundant watering.
- In the dry corners of the garden, where there is a lot of sun, the large-flowered and red-brown variety is indispensable.
- Georgian geranium looks good on an alpine hill.
- If there is a wet corner in the summer cottage in the shade of trees, marsh geranium will grow here.
- Balkan geranium during planting and care in the country landing easily tolerates drought and shading.
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All geraniums have long branched roots that are extremely difficult to tolerate transplanting. To reduce the stress of this procedure and simplify the subsequent care, a rather deep planting pit is made for planting geraniums in the garden. Its depth should be several centimeters more than the length of the roots spread on the nutrient soil at the bottom of the pit. After a careful backfilling, the landing area is watered, and the ground is mulched on top.
Since most species grow significantly over a couple of years, the individual geraniums in the garden should be no less than 20–30 cm.
Due to the density of the crown and the secreted essential oils, weeds reluctantly settle near geraniums, and not all pests can harm ornamentalculture.
And yet even such an unpretentious, able to stand up for themselves the plant needs support. Care for garden geraniums after planting consists of:
- in regular watering to meet the needs of a particular plant species;
- in top dressings, the first of which is carried out using infusion compost and peat immediately after transplantation;
- in the autumn pruning of faded foliage and summer removal of faded inflorescences.
Spring for geraniums should begin with fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizer. It will push the plant to the formation of lush foliage, and a month later a complex means is added to the plants, which includes nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. Species that are accustomed to living in the mountains or drylands need less fertilizer than lowland species.
Perennial garden geranium is an unusual, undemanding and very attractive green decoration of any area. The plant is universal and can be successfully used in single and group plantings, without needing special care.
Geranium in the garden and garden - video
