Many years ago when we lived in Columbus, two of my garden buddies and myself started down a highly scented rabbit hole that has sparked my life long love or shall I say addiction to Pelargoniums.
Flash forward 40 years and I still love these sensual plants for so many reasons. These plants were first brought over to North American by Sailors who were rounding the southern coast of Africa. They were growing wild in this area. I am sure they aided in the odors of the ship and delighted the wives and mistresses waiting at home. The ladies of the house would place the pots of the plants next to the door and brush their long skirts sending the intoxicating scent thru out the house.
Just so no one is confused...these are not your regular geraniums. In fact they are not geraniums at all but in the genus Pelargoniums. There are about 250 species within this group. For ease I divided them in to four groups. The Rose Scented Group, The Citrus Group, The Mint and Pungent Group, and the Fruit and Spice group. Some are upright, some are trailing and vining and some creeping.
Growing these plants is very easy. I usually keep them in pots and move them outside in the summer. I have planted them in the garden and they thrive. Then I either take cuttings or attempt to move the plant in before frost as they are not winter hardy. For me it is way easier to keep them in pots.
They seem to prefer semi shade to sun with a lot of good air circulation. Direct sun seems to scald the leaves. However they all thrive in the greenhouse or when placed by a sunny window. All of them produce very small blossoms. But I love them and have used them in salads or candied them. I also dry the leaves and small flowers and use in potpourri.
I have dried the leaves and used them in many different ways. The most unique is drying the rose scented leaves and stuffing them into panty hose and hanging them in the closet. They served as a natural moth repellent.
By taking the rose geranium leaves and layering them in sugar you end up with a scented sugar that is great in baking. This is a baking secret from many years ago. I have also made a rose geranium jelly.
In the citrus group I love to take the lemon scented geraniums that are straight up stems and use them as sizzle sticks in lemonade. They also make very cool bookmarks! But what is better than a lemon scented finger bowl to cleanse your hands.
I think one of the most amazing quality of these plants is the ability to make more of them. They root so easily by taking cuttings. I have successfully taken cuttings from stem cuttings as well as just leaves. Since the plants grow very quickly and benefit from trimming, this is a win /win for both the plant and the gardener tending them.
One thing I strongly believe about these plants is that they need to be planted where they can be petted. My favorite, Peppermint Geranium has smooth velvety leaves that smell so strong that they can scent an entire room with just a bit of attention. I can't resist touching it every time I pass by the pot.
My sincere hope it that this blog might inspire you to dive into this category of plants. They are fascinating, easy to grow and very addictive! Enjoy
