Old-fashioned flowers? I am thinking not.
I remember during the winter that my grandmother would have at least one potted red geranium on the cabinet in the laundry room pitifully trying to make it until spring when it could go back outdoors. I always thought that geraniums were old fashioned plants well past their prime in a modern garden. But, as the garden (and myself) have aged, I love these easy-to-care-for plants.
I have one beautiful salmon geranium that I have over-wintered for the past two years. As I pulled it out from under the bench in the greenhouse to get these pics, I realized how leggy it had gotten. It definitely needs a trim and some bone meal!
My leggy, unruly monster. I think it wants to get back outside!
The flowers on it are so big and compact that I can clip them for flower arrangements. People can’t believe that they are actually geraniums.
An early spring bounty of cut flowers. This variety (whatever it is) has the longest stems. They are perfect for cut flowers. I have added some scented geraniums for greener.
I can’t wait to get this monster (and cuttings from it for new starts) back into the flower beds. I also have a variety of other geranium colors in the greenhouse (deep purple, scarlet, red, white) that don’t look as good as this one, but I think they will perk up when they are planted back in the soil.
Other favorites being over-wintered are scented geraniums (which really aren’t the same variety at all). I have two kinds of these in the greenhouse and they are great in the herb garden in the summer. The nieces and nephews love them. I have been reading about their culinary uses and hope to post about that soon.
Even though it is April 15th and we should be past our frost date, there is a chance of much cooler weather this weekend. I guess my leggy monster will have to wait a few days longer before it can get outside!
Have a great weekend!
For another remembrance of my other grandmother and old-fashioned flowers, click here.
