What's In A Name?

The name geranium brings to mind several things: the stalwart red blooms we see everywhere from memorial plants marking a loved-ones grave to mass borders in a home landscape to a small container on a porch.  They come in different colors, scents, and sizes.  Nothing beats the versatility or stamina of the geranium.

Except for one matter: the plants we call geraniums are really pelargonium.  True geraniums look entirely different and are fairly uncommon in our area, but are usually called hardy geraniums.  “Pelargomium” come from the Greek word geranos, meaning crane, as the seed head looks like a crane bill.  The common geranium we use in our landscape can be found in various forms:

• SEED GERANIUMS - These are generally smaller plants than cutting geraniums, with small but more numerous flowers and a more self-branching growth habit.  They are often labeled as seed geraniums, and sold in small pots or packs. 
• ZONAL GERANIUMS - They are named this way because they have a dark ring midway on the leaf.  They tend to have bigger blooms ranging in size from three to six inches, and in all sorts of colors.  They tend to grow upright so are best suited for beddings and pots.  These can take the most sun and are drought tolerant.
• IVY-LEAVED - These are best for hanging baskets and window boxes, as they have a trailing habit.  They have a growth habit less upright than the other kinds of geraniums, and the leaves resemble the English ivy plant. Another distinction is they do better in part shade during the extreme heat of the summer.
• REGAL - Sometimes called Martha Washington, they come in pastel shades and the leaves have more serrated ends in comparison to the rounded ones of the other varieties.  They make excellent indoor plants in a sunny window, but usually do not perform well in the extreme heat of summer.
• SCENTED - These are specialty geraniums.  They are grown for their foliage more than the flowers. They come in lemon, peppermint, citronella, and even chocolate, among others.  Expect to pay a premium for these. 

Geraniums are among the easiest landscape plants to have.  They do best in well-drained soil and full sun.  Generally a 10-10-10 fertilizer is all that is required to promote continued blooming throughout the season.  Deadheading is important to the health of the plant as well as encouraging new blossoms.  Remove any yellow leaves or spent flowers and throw them away.  A mold called botrytis is spread through poor sanitation of your plants.  Not many insects bother the geranium, but whiteflies, aphids, and mealy bugs can attack them.  These pests can be managed easily with insecticides found at your local garden center. 

Besides the versatility and variety the geraniums offer, they also can be over-wintered for those who want a project for the off season.  Not many summer annuals can make the transition but some geraniums will.  But who really wants to think about winter when the growing season is just beginning?  For more information on growing geraniums, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu and request a copy of “Geraniums.”

Steve Ward

Master Gardener Coordinator

Penn State  Extension  Lackawanna County

Pansies

The calendar does actually say winter is officially over. But, as experience has shown us, the weather is very unpredictable. Some areas just this week had snow, rain, and sun all in one day. Mother nature pays no attention to what month it is. The home landscape this time of year is in need of cheering up. There are better and brighter days ahead even though things look dirty and old. It would be nice to see some color around the yard.

Right now, at your local garden center, you can have your choice of a host of colors, as greenhouses are full of pansies. Few other flowers give you the wide variety of colors and excellent weather tolerance than pansies do.

Throughout the world, there are almost 500 species of pansies with three different patterns:
The single color, or often referred to as “clear” type; single color with black radiating from the center; and “face” type - these have dark centers. You will also find single, semi double, and full double blooms. Most often you find a mix of all these kinds in packs or trays.

Johnny Jump-ups are closely related to pansies. They have much smaller blooms, come in fewer colors, and can tolerate warmer temperatures. As a result, they will bloom longer in the season than regular pansies.

Pansies can be planted outside as soon as the soil can be worked and loosened. They usually can handle a frost, and once established, can survive a freeze. Considered biennials, you may see them again, as they will re-seed themselves to complete their life cycle. Pansies prefer part sun to shade locations. This will also keep them blooming longer than in direct sun. Continually dead-heading or removing spent blooms will encourage new flowers to form. Pansies perform well in containers and baskets. They are an easy choice for a deck or porch if do not want to toil in the soil so early in the season. Another advantage to pansies is they are very disease resistant so you can have a healthy looking yard when everything else is still dormant.

An additional benefit of pansies is a fun activity: collect and press the blooms. You can make it an easy family adventure. Starting at your local greenhouse, pick the color combination everyone likes, take them home and plant them. Once they are in full bloom, you pick them and preserve them through pressing.

For more information on pansies, and pressing them, contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu, and request the “Pansy: Home Grown Facts” publication.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension
 Lackawanna County

Fall Color Choices

Set aside some time now to enjoy the seasonal changes. Take a break from fall clean up, and make a few colorful changes to your home landscape. While your garden is almost done and things are slowing down, you can add a new look around your home by choosing some of the following for some easy and instant colorful changes.

Ornamental kale: easy care and can last well into the winter if planted in the ground. Plus it is native to North America, easy to grow and can reach eighteen inches in height. It likes well drained soil and thrives in temperatures below fifty degrees. Kale has lacey and feathery leaves ranging in color from green to red to white depending on the variety. Ornamental cabbage has similar traits but its leaves are wavy edged, and form rosettes with pink, purple, red, or white centers.

Fall pansies have gained popularity over the years. They add a punch of color to the earth tones of the rest of the fall landscape. They are easy to find at your local garden center. Choose compact plants with deep green foliage. Plant in well-drained, rich soil in a sunny to partly-shady location. Deadhead blossoms to extend flowering. These cool-weather lovers can actually make it through frosts and even single-digit temperatures. Some may surprise you with their return in the spring.

Chrysanthemums are the popular choice for fall color. They come in a variety of single and bi-colored blooms, and there are as many as thirteen different kinds of flowers- cushion, daisy, and pom-pom are common. Mums are a wise choice for instant color. Most come in decorative containers. Just take them home and display. Mums are disease and pest resistant, and they make a big statement with little effort. For the adventurous mums can be planted in the ground or left in their containers and stored in a garage for planting in the spring.

Pumpkins, you can pick your own, or find plenty at a road side stand, garden center or even the grocery store. It would not be fall without pumpkins, cider, and hayrides. Choose one with a firm skin with no soft spots and uniform, deep orange color. A nice firm green stem makes a pumpkin really stand out. Make sure it has a flat bottom so it can sit up by itself. Wait to carve it, cut pumpkins last only a short time. Better yet, pick some up for decoration now and go later for your jack-o-lanterns, giving you an excuse for another fun day at a local pumpkin patch.

For more information on any home horticulture topic, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at (570) 963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County