Gone Gardenin’: Scented geranium excellent tonic for winter blahs

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This article was published 02/02/2012 (5319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you are like me, you are intrigued by the names of plants, although I must admit that when I say this, I am referring more to common plant names rather than their official Latin designation.

It is important to know the Latin name of a plant if there is any question about its true identity, but I think by and large, the common names we use for plants do a terrific job of describing them.

Take for example these common plant names: Prince of Orange, Fingerbowl Lemon, Attar of Roses, and Gray Lady Plymouth. They are all members of the Pelargonium family of plants; they are some of the many varieties of scented geraniums.

Scented geraniums captured my interest about 10 years ago when a small local greenhouse, which is no longer in operation, offered several of them for sale.

Both the unique leaf shapes and textures, and the dainty colourful flowers that the plants produce caught my eye; it was the exquisite scent of their foliage, however, that had me enthralled.

The foliage of every scented geranium has a distinctive scent; some of them have a faint perfume while others give off a very strong smell. A few of them have a definite medicinal scent, which I appreciate but that some people do not like and find overwhelming.

I have grown scented geraniums for about 10 years. They are easy, undemanding plants to grow, just like their cousins, the common geraniums (Pelargoniums) we buy as bedding plants in the spring or grow on our windowsills.

They do fine in ordinary potting soil or soilless mix and do not suffer ill effects if they are allowed to get quite dry on occasion. They do like sun and warm temperatures, although I winter mine in my cool winter sunroom and they seem to thrive in those cool conditions.

I do not fertilize them heavily although I give them a shot of 20-20-20 a few times during the summer when they are part of the plant collection that I place on my outdoor water feature. The plants like being outdoors for the summer and produce lots of bloom while displayed in the outdoor garden.

The blooms are not heavy and substantial like those of ordinary geraniums; rather, they are small, light and delicate. Most of them are also delicately coloured — no harsh scarlets here — just pale lavenders, soft whites, and subdued burgundies.

I like to display my scented geraniums where the texture and scent of the foliage can be easily appreciated while they are in the outdoor landscape. That is why I place them beside the sunroom door on the water feature shelf; I can brush my hand through the foliage as I walk past and get a whiff of their perfume.

Every scented geranium also has unique texture to its leaves. Some have oak-shaped leaves that are rough to the touch or that feel like felt when they are rubbed.

Others have tiny, crisped leaves that are fastened to stiff stems creating an almost bottle brush effect. There are some scented geraniums that sport variegated foliage, although I don’t (yet!) have any of those.

To truly appreciate scented geraniums, the foliage must be rubbed or brushed so that the essential oils are released, producing the scent. They are therefore great table-top plants to use in the interior landscape as well.

Like most geraniums, scented varieties are relatively free from disease and insect pest problems. I did have one — I think it was Almond Sun — that seemed to attract white fly during the winter, so I no longer have it in my collection.

Most scented geraniums are upright plants that tend to cascade and sprawl when they get mature. I like this characteristic in my outdoor garden where I put them near the edge of the water feature platform and their foliage tumbles down, creating a nice effect — particularly since they bloom on and off for most of the summer.

Although you might find some scented geraniums in local garden centres, there is relatively small demand for such specialty plants that probably doesn’t warrant keeping them in stock.

One source is Richters in Goodwood, Ont.; they specialize in herbs of all kinds, and classify scented geraniums as herbs.

When I go out to the sunroom during the winter to water and groom my plants, I casually let my hand slide through one of my scented geraniums and take a few deep breaths. The scent revives my spirit and serves as an excellent winter tonic.

Albert Parsons is a consultant for garden design and landscaping who lives in Minnedosa.

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