HG Openhouse Blog

Geraniums (pelargoniums) are a favorite potting and bedding plant of mine. My Grandmother grew them in her sunny windows and I’ve loved them ever since. Geraniums have sprung up all over my yard and in pots. Where there’s a space that needs some color I just cut cuttings from some plants and poke them in the dirt. That’s it! They take off and thrive on neglect. That’s the free part. I don’t run to the nursery to buy them because they propagate so easily. Many of my varieties I’ve recieved from friends, and neighbors. They’re  more than happy to give you a few cuttings of their plants if you take some of yours to them.  Or, you can buy a couple of plants to start, and as they grow, cut some stems off and start a bunch of new ones (they make a wonderful gift as well).  Look for Zonale, Martha Washington or Ivy geraniums for great color.

I’m an, instant gratification kind of person, so I don’t  go by the “book” exactly, on how to plant stem cuttings.  But my way seems to work well and I get to have instant pots of flowers that grow and thrive. I hope yours will too. Give it a try.

Here’s what I do… (click on pictures to enlarge)

For pots…Fill pots (with drainage holes in the bottom) with well draining loose potting soil, water to moisten soil well. For a medium 6″ wide pot,  poke in 5-6 stems of new- growth geraniums that have had the leaves removed on the 4-5″  end that goes into the soil. I leave lots of flowers and leaves on the upper 6-8″ stem,  so it looks like a nice sized plant after its potted. Then I water well and keep it moist, but not wet for a few weeks while they root. Then water as needed and fertilize once or twice through the summer. These work well for me, but if you want to go-by-the-book, you can Google “how to propagate geraniums” (sometimes rules are to be broken . Either way it’s very simple. I’ve also read that geraniums can “winter-over”  indoors in colder climates to grow and bloom the following year.

For planters or in borders…Make sure the dirt in your planters is loose and well draning (for little roots to expand). Water the dirt well and poke a bunch of holes in it. Strip bottom leaves off the cuttings and stick them in the dirt and press dirt around stem. Water well for a few weeks while they root, then cut back watering a bit. They will start filling in nicely,  as in the background of these pictures in my garden.

If you start now, you’ll have some beautiful planters or pots full of gorgeous geraniums by summer. They are perenials so they’ll just keep getting bigger every year.  Another plant that is easy to grow from cuttings are Impatiens (they are good in the shade).  So try a few.  I’m sure there are many others.  We would love to hear about any you’ve tried.  Whats worked for you and what hasn’t?

Enjoy your spring garden and all the color in it. It doesn’t have to cost a cent, to have a “scent-sational” garden!

“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses” -Hanna Rion.