Trendsetting: Pelargoniums

We here at Snug Harbor Farm have been setting trends for over 20 years. It all started with bringing topiaries back into the forefront of garden design in the 1990's and then within the past decade, Begonias, so much so that Garden Design Magazine decided to feature our collection in their ultimate issue.
So what's the next big trend to come into fashion in horticulture you ask?
We are putting our bets on Pelargoniums or better known to the public as Geraniums. Forget what you think about those standard varieties in red, pink and white you see in every garden center.
Our collection and the varieties we offer here for purchase will change your mind.

Whether pansy-faced, fancy-leaved, or scented we have quite the collection and it continues to grow from friends like Robin Parer and Glen Lord. They run the gambit from different flower shapes and colors, leaf pattern and scent. They're easy to take care of and collecting them is super addictive.

Pelargoniums or Geraniums like to be planted in a good fast-draining cactus or succulent mix, with a bit of loam is ideal. They need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight to produce blooms and maintain healthy leaf color. Pelargoniums are sensitive to too much water so only water when the soil is dry 2 inches down. Bring them in your home in the fall before the danger of frost and set them in your sunniest window and only water again when dry. These basic rules on care should help anyone whom is interested in growing Pelargoniums.

Below are just some images and descriptions of the many varieties of Pelargoniums we have to offer. If you get a chance to come to the farm we will be more than happy to show you all the other beauties we carry.

Above is Pelargonium 'Apple blossom'. There is no wonder why this one was named as such. It is a double flowering variety that has a ruffled white bloom edged in pink just like the blooms on an apple tree.

Below is Pelargonium Sidoides. This species has rosettes of small rounded gray-green leaves and long arching flowering stems with narrow petalled burgundy flowers.

 

Above is a variety called 'Indian Dunes', below is 'Vancouver Centennial' followed by 'Miss Pollock' and 'Prince Ruppert'. These are all fancy-leaf varieties and grown for their foliage. They all produce a red hot flower with the exception of 'Price Ruppert' whom has a light pink one.

 

We also offer scented-leaf Pelargoniums. The one pictured above is 'Citronella', a lovely cut leaf variety. One can crush a few leaves in your hands and rub them on your skin to help repel mosquitoes. They are also great planted in big pots around your patio where you can enjoy the scent at night. Scented geraniums tend to produce an insignificant flower.

Next are my personal favorites, the pansy-faced Pelargoniums. Grown for their unique blooms these varieties are show-stoppers. Above is Pelargonium 'Ray Kellog' an heirloom bred here in the U.S. from 1932 and pictured below is 'Lord Bute', another old variety from 1910.

The small flowered Pelargonium above is 'Catford Belle' developed by Langley Smith in England around the year 1935. Finally below is 'Rome' an outstanding variety that screams for attention, with bright pink petals with plum blotches.

These plants have persevered as a garden staple for generations. With the heirlooms and the new hybrids being developed, there's no doubt they're here to stay. So the next time you see an article in your favorite garden magazine or a clip on that garden program you watch, remember that we called it out. Pelargoniums are the next 'hot plants' for the future!