Pelargonium in a window box
author Kruglikova S., photo by the authorPelargoniums are the favorite plants of flower growers around the world. In many countries withoutvarious pelargoniums Large parks and tiny patios are unthinkable. Pelargoniums traditionallydecorate balconies , windows of houses, terraces, flower beds of different styles.
We value pelargoniums for their bright and abundant flowering, for their decorative leaves, for the lush appearance of flowering plants throughout the season, and for their unpretentiousness.
Most often grown in flower beds, flower beds and pots pelargonium zonal(Pelargonium zonale) - an erect subshrub with almost round leaves(green, variegated, golden, with a contrasting ring around the center of the leaf). Corymbose inflorescences with caps of flowers of various colors rise above the leaves of zonal pelargoniums.
For cultivation as a carpet plant, and also for vertical gardening used pelargonium thyroid, or ivy-leaved pelargonium(Pelargonium peltatum). Thyroid pelargonium decorates retaining walls and raised flower beds, plant this plant in hanging baskets and wall planters, indecorative flowerpots on a high pedestal, in window and balcony boxes.
My article is devoted to the cultivation and maintenance of this wonderful ampel - ivy-leaved pelargonium.
Growing ivy-leaved pelargonium
Pelargonium thyroid is a creeping subshrub with thin but strong shoots 70-100 cm long. This species has five-lobed, rather dense fleshy leaves, green or white-variegated (with white veins or with a white border).
Long flower stalks formed in the axil of each leaf of ivy-leaved pelargonium bear loose inflorescences of graceful star-shaped flowers.
Many varieties of thyroid pelargonium have been bred with all kinds of colors of delicate flowers - white, salmon, pink, red, crimson, lilac, as well as bicolor and with contrasting veins on the petals. Flowers are simple or double; usually they are 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter, in some large-flowered varieties up to 4 cm.
Thyroid pelargonium – sun-loving, heat-loving, drought-resistant plant. Hardened pelargoniums can withstand extreme cold, but cannot tolerate even the slightest frost. Therefore, pelargonium must be protected from frost - both spring and autumn.
Pelargonium grows best in a sunny location, in fertile loamy soil, with moderate watering. The abundance of nitrogen in the soil promotes the formation of many large leaves, but causes weak flowering.
Pelargonium during the period active growth(from March to August) needs weekly fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer of low concentration. This plant also likes to drink.diluted milk .
Sufficient and balanced diet pelargonium promotes good growth, as well as non-stop lush flowering. However, keep in mind: excess nitrogen fertilizers contribute to the development of large green mass, but fewer flower stalks are formed on the shoots (or not formed at all) - the plants “fatten”.
Both pelargonium seedlings and adult plants are hardy and tolerate replanting well.
Pruning bare shoots of pelargonium in the spring and pinching the tips of the shoots promotes tillering due to the formation of lateral shoots from dormant buds.
Pelargonium thyroid in a window box
Falling shoots of ivy-leaved pelargonium with an abundance of openwork inflorescences form an attractive long-flowering cascade.
Due to its high decorative value, I chose this plant to plant in window boxes to decorate the sunny facade of our house. On the background stone walls green flowering shoots thyroid pelargoniums look very organic and impressive.
Pelargonium seedlings are planted in a narrow window box in a single row, at a distance of 15 cm from each other. If the box is wide enough (25 cm or wider), you can plant pelargonium seedlings in two rows, arranging the plants in a checkerboard pattern.
Pelargoniums planted in a box must be gradually prepared for outdoor conditions, for direct hot sun.
Boxes withhardened plants I put it outside after the end of the spring frosts.
Caring for ivy-leaved pelargonium in window boxes during the warm season comes down to regular watering (when there is no rain) and fertilizing. Small doses of complex mineral fertilizers and microelements are applied weekly along with irrigation water.
Pelargoniums of several varieties look great together in a window box. No one can indifferently pass by this riot of colors without admiring the blooming pelargonium.
Having grown thyroid pelargonium at least once, it is difficult to give up this wonderful plant - you want to admire the bright cascade of its inflorescences every season.
Thanks to our mild climate, ivy-leaved pelargonium reaches enormous sizes over a long garden season, producing countless flowers.
And when frost approaches, it’s time to take care of preserving the beautiful pelargonium until the next gardening season.
Wintering ivy-leaved pelargonium
It's good if you have something like this in your home appropriate place, where you can move window boxes with pelargoniums for wintering.
Favorable conditions for wintering thyroid pelargoniums:
- bright, cool place;
- temperature of keeping plants in winter in the range of +5…+10 degrees;
- rare and careful watering of the soil (without wetting the stems and leaves).
Excessive watering of wintering pelargoniums leads to rotting of the roots and the appearance of diseases . And the surviving plants grow - they form very thin, fragile shoots with small pale leaves.
As soon as the first autumn frosts arrive, I move the boxes of pelargoniums from the street to the bright, cool attic of our house.
In the off-season, all I have to do is periodically visit the attic to water and treat wintering pelargoniums - to remove yellowed and dried leaves. There is such a nuance in this matter for pelargoniums: it is better to cut off old leaves with scissors, leaving part of the leaf petiole on the shoot so as not to damage the “sleeping” axillary buds.
Last year, my sister Elena also grew wonderful ivy-leaved pelargoniums in the window boxes of her house. But autumn came, and the plants needed to be arranged for the winter. It was not possible to transport the plants indoors directly in the boxes.
A lot of work was done: the roots of the pelargoniums (along with a lump of earth) were removed from the window boxes, packed in bags and transported to an empty, cool room in our office. Root system The plants were placed close to each other in containers, and then the pelargonium rhizomes were covered with soil.
It was assumed that ivy-leaved pelargoniums would overwinter in the office no worse than in the attic of my house.
But in the middle of winter it suddenly turned out that these plants were attacked... by mice. Out of nowhere, the rodents that appeared in the office ate not only all the shoots of the pelargoniums, but also dug up the soil in the containers and destroyed their roots.
Florists need to take this fact into account andprotect from rodents ivy-leaved pelargoniums.
If there is no suitable room for organizing the wintering of large specimens of pelargonium in boxes, then at the end of summer you need to take cuttings from the mother plants and root them in pots. In these same pots, young plants can overwinter in the house on the windowsill, right next to the glass. And in the spring, ivy-leaved pelargoniums are planted in window boxes.
Reproduction of thyroid pelargonium
Pelargonium reproduces sowing seeds or cuttings.
Get a large number of planting material different varieties possible through seed propagation. Breeders have developed a large number of hybrids of ivy-leaved pelargonium. On sale there are elegant seed mixtures that allow you to independently grow seedlings with a variety of flower colors.
Pelargonium thyroid seeds can be sown from the beginning of December (if available additional lighting V winter period) until the end of April. The depth of seed placement in the soil is 5 mm. A bowl with a moderately moistened substrate is placed in a mini-greenhouse.
In a bright and warm place (+22...24 degrees), high-quality pelargonium seeds germinate in about 1-1.5 weeks.
The main thing when growing pelargonium seedlings is careful watering, preventing the soil from flooding or drying out.
After 3 weeks, the grown pelargonium seedlings are picked.
When young plants begin to actively develop after picking, you can begin to regularly feed them with small doses of complex mineral fertilizer with microelements.
Cuttings are usually taken from the strongest, most ornamental plants at the end of summer.
You can also take cuttings in the spring from mother pelargoniums that have been successfully preserved in winter. Spring pruning of old vines on mother plants promotes the growth of strong young shoots on which many flower stalks are formed.
Cut pelargonium cuttings are rooted in pots. Loose soil with a high sand content is suitable for rooting pelargoniums. The cuttings are planted along the edge of the pot, at a distance of about 2 cm from each other. Watering the cuttings is limited as the soil dries out.
To root pelargonium cuttings, the construction of a mini-greenhouse is not required, and is even harmful: retaining moisture in the soil and the resulting condensation lead to plant rotting. For the same reason, cuttings of pelargoniums are not recommended.root in water (the bottom of the cuttings often rots before roots develop).
About 3 weeks after planting, the cuttings take root.
Pelargonium cuttings rooted in summer, successfully overwintered in the cool air, by the beginning of the season turn into powerful plants that delight with abundant flowering.
Garden centers now sell many varieties of ivy-leaved pelargoniums with various colors of inflorescences and decorative leaves. Just a few seedlings of ampelous pelargoniums can create a variegated, long-flowering cascade and provide festive mood for the whole season.
Geranium thyroid- belongs to the geranium family. Homeland - coastal regions of South Africa. Thyroid geranium is a plant characterized by drooping green shoots and wonderful pink and red inflorescences. Flowering period - summer-early autumn.
Geranium thyroid- Belongs to the Geranium family. Homeland - coastal regions of South Africa. Shield geranium is a plant characterized by drooping green shoots and wonderful pink and red inflorescences. Flowering period - summer-early autumn.
This plant is an excellent material for indoor use, as well as for vertical gardening of verandas, balconies, lobbies and windows. It propagates in spring by herbaceous cuttings. The desired shape can be achieved by trimming and pinching.
It grows and grows well on a mixture of humus, turf, leaf soil and sand (2:2:2:1). In winter it should be kept at a temperature of 15-17°C. If you want the plant to be large and showy, plant two or three rooted cuttings in one pot. Young plants must be replanted annually, in spring.
Geranium is fragrant. Homeland is South Africa. Quite unpretentious perennial, which is distinguished by a highly branched stem of light green color. The leaves are green, palmate-lobed, with wavy, uneven blades. A plant with slight pubescence. The flowers are small, lilac-pink, in umbellate inflorescences. The flowering is inconspicuous. The plant loves light. Its stems and leaves contain alkaloids, due to which it has a specific odor.
Geranium is zonal. Place of origin: South Africa. Bush with dense foliage, erect. The leaves are green, with a brownish-red rim along the edge, slightly wavy. Flowers, different in color and number of petals, are collected in hemispherical umbrellas on long peduncles. There are forms with variegated leaves suitable for flower beds. Almost throughout the year, geraniums are easily propagated by cuttings. The cut cuttings must be withered, and then planted in a dry state in the substrate, without spraying or watering.
The plant loves light. IN summer time you need to water it abundantly, and in winter keep it in a cool and dry place. In order to give the plant shape, you need to do pinching and pruning, but geraniums do not like strong and frequent pruning. Zonal geranium has phytoncidal properties. Its leaves have a very peculiar smell, which not every person will find pleasant. Old geranium can be rejuvenated by planting “on a stump,” but it is better to renew it by cutting off the apical shoot for rooting.
Zone geranium is currently propagated by seeds. Flowering plants Moreover, you can receive it in just four months. Young geraniums need to be handled and replanted every year during the growth period. This is done in spring. In order to grow geranium, a mixture of humus, clay leaf soil and sand is suitable. The pot should be small, otherwise the leaves will be thick, but the plant will not bloom. Grows well in hydroponics on ion exchange substrates.
The following varieties of zonal geranium are known:
Mr. Pollock is a large bush plant with inconspicuous flowers, but beautiful leaves with a white pattern;
Madame Solleri is a low, graceful bush with small white-variegated leaves, flowering is inconspicuous;
Ruby and Dresden are plants with semi-double flowers of a scarlet hue;
Erfold is a plant with dense foliage and double salmon-colored flowers;
Radio – geranium with semi-double scarlet flowers;
Meteor is a geranium with double bright red flowers.
If geranium is kept under fluorescent lamps, then it blooms continuously, with the exception of the first months of winter. It is often used for indoor cultivation, outdoor landscaping and interior decoration.
Secrets of success:
Temperature: moderate, at night – lower, in winter – no lower than 8-12°C.
Lighting: the plant loves light, needs direct sunlight.
Watering: abundant as the soil dries out. Overmoistening of the soil should be avoided. IN winter time Watering is reduced; outside of flowering time, the soil should be slightly moist.
Air humidity: geranium does not require spraying the leaves.
Reproduction: in spring, by stem cuttings.
