In the video recording below , I answer the question whether geraniums are annual or perennials by looking at the geraniums in my garden .
So are geraniumsannuals or perennials ?
left as it might voice in a station about geranium , we ’ll pop with some plants that are n’t actually geranium , namely pelargoniums .
Pelargoniums
Pelargoniums – are they even geraniums?
Pelargoniums and geranium both go to the same class , Geraniaceae , and there are enough similarities between them for them to have originally been think to belong in the same genus .
But , although they have long been known to be disjoined plants , genus Pelargonium are still often referred to as geranium . Therefore , you will see pelargoniums sell as zonal geraniums , ivyleafed geraniums or scented geranium . And it is for that reason that we continue them in this Emily Post .
As an aside , it is deserving noting that the word geranium is educe from the Greek for Crane , because as the uncouth name Cranesbill hint at , the plant ’s seedpods are shape like the Crane ’s bill . Interestingly , as theLaidback Gardener points out , the word genus Pelargonium comes from the Greek for Stork . What is more , the genus Pelargonium has seminal fluid capsules that are almost undistinguishable from the geranium ’s . All of which demonstrates the closelipped connexion between the two case of plant .
Pelargoniums
So, are pelargoniums annuals or perennials?
Pelargonium produce beautiful pink and red-faced flowers and have fleshy stems . Their leaves are attractive , sometimes scented , with interesting leaf shapes and colouring .
In temperate mood we tend to raise pelargoniums asannuals . Butthey are in fact tender perennials . So , in a mood where there is no icing , they would proceed to grow on class after twelvemonth .
But in domain where frost occurs , pelargoniums are at hazard and will be killed iftemperaturesfall much below freezing . Therefore , in frost prone area , pelargoniums need to be kept in a heated nursery or indoors in ordering to overwinter successfully .
Geraniums – annuals or perennials?
Herbaceous perennial geraniums
The plants I think of astrue Geraniums , likeGeranium ‘ Johnson ’s Blue‘are mostly stalwart herbaceous perennial plants .
They will fare back year after class . They ’ll die back in the winter , often with attractive leaf color in autumn . But , they will come up with a fresh flush of increase in spring andflower for much of the summerwith beautiful pink , racy or purple flowers .
Annual and biennial geraniums
But even amongst the geraniums , there is some variety of liveliness span . Of the works commonly grown in gardens , there are two species in picky , observe below , that are not straightforward herbaceous perennial .
Geranium Maderense
Geraniummaderenseis an alien expression geranium specie with exquisitely cut rich green leaves and spectacular panicles of peak held straight-backed above the leaves .
This is a somewhat tender mintage of geranium that is native to Madeira . It is technically a perennial , but is very short lived and often behaves like a biennial – bloom in its second yr and then dying off .
I grew Geraniummaderenseonce and was surprised that it did n’t last beyond a couple of years , as I did n’t have intercourse at the meter that it was a short live recurrent . Of course , you could keep it run short by letting set seed and raising the seeds the next Spring or by takingbasal cutting .
Geranium Robertianum
GeraniumRobertianum(Herb Robert ) is essentially a uncivilised specie of geranium in many parts of the domain . It has redolent leaf and pinkish flowers . It is authoritative to treat in this context because Herb Robert it is an annual or biennial species .
Martin Cole has been an avid plant lover and gardener for more than 20 years and fuck to talk and write about horticulture . In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year competition . He is a fellow member of the National dahlia Society .
He previously experience in London and Sydney , Australia , where he took a diploma track in Horticultural studies and is now base in North Berwick in Scotland . He found GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012 . The website is aim at everybody who loves plants or has been sting by the horticulture bug and wants to know more .
Gardening Step by Step has beencited by Thompson and Morgan , the UK ’s largest mail order plant retail merchant , as a web site that publishes expert gardening capacity .
Pelargoniums
Geranium pratense
Geranium maderense. Image: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.5https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Geranium Robertianum. Image: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
