|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Geraniums make beautiful pot plants but they need to be nurtured with care, observes Kiran Narain
Thousands of the hybrid zonal geraniums used for bedding and window boxes are, therefore, raised afresh every year to replace the plants in Europe and elsewhere because it is difficult to keep them alive through winter. However, with little care most amateur gardeners can keep a limited stock of geraniums safe and later propagate them by cuttings. Well-known for their rich aromatic foliage and bright coloured, pink, magenta, vermilion, red or white clusters of flowers, grouped together in ball formation, pelargonium make beautiful pot plants which are the part and parcel of most window-boxes in European houses. These also form an essential item of any plant collection in Indian hill stations where these bloom profusely through summer. In the plains of North India, these can grow with success and the blooms add colour to the garden from December until hot summer winds start blowing. The hybrid pelargonium or geraniums, as they are popularly known, are generally grouped as follows: (a) Zonal: Grown as pot-plants and also for bedding, they have usually a horse-shoe zone of darker coloured patch on the leaves. (b) Variegated — Leafed zonal: The hybrid with strikingly coloured leaves in different shades with cream to yellow zones have white to shades of pink to vermilion flowers. (c) Ivy-leafed: Somewhat trailing plants with more edgy leaves resembling ivy leaves, these are ideal for hanging baskets, pedestal pots, window-boxes and covering trellis and come in plain or streaked colours of pink. (d) Show or regal: Largely of American breeding, these are most beautiful of the geraniums and have better variety of colours. However, these are not readily available in India. Seeds can be imported. In addition, there are the miniature and scented-leafed geraniums, which for some reason, are not very popular with Indian gardeners. For arranging your new stock, take cuttings of young, non-flowered, short-jointed, sturdy shoots-2"-3" long and cut them beneath a node cleanly. Remove lower leaves and allow the cut surface to dry for a while. Insert these cuttings firmly in a 2 inch pot singly or insert half a dozen of them the sides of a 6 inch pot. These can also be planted in shallow boxes when grown in bulk, however, the soil used for cuttings should contain a good proportion of sand and should have a very good drainage. These should be kept shaded from hot sun, watering only a little. Once the cuttings have rooted, transplant them in pots having a compost of two parts garden soil, one part coarse sand and one part leaf-mould or well-decayed farmyard manure. You may add a little bone meal or super phosphate to it. Pelargonium does well in relatively small pots (6 inch) as it likes being pot-bound and, generally, smaller the pot, better the flowering. Only moderate watering, ensuring that the top half inch of the plant dries out between watering, should be given allowing plenty of sunlight during the flowering season. Pinching out the growing tips will encourage new side-shoots and make the plant bushy. Once the flower buds show, weekly application of diluted liquid manure and soot-water will help in adding colour to foliage and flowers. After flowering, the plants may be cut back and kept under cover and kept fairly dry or else the plants become damp, especially during monsoon. Firm potting, plenty of sunshine and good drainage accompanied by pinching the main shoots, to induce bushy growth, are the secret of cultivating picture postcard pretty pelargonium. |
|
|
|
|
Known
as geraniums in common parlance by gardeners, pelargonium (family
geraniaceae) is a large group of herbaceous evergreen shrubby
perennials. However, few of these flowering herbs, distinctive for
their beak-like style and fruits, are really hardy, except under the
mildest conditions.