Archive for October, 2009

Martha Washington Pelargoniums

Growers on the West Coast sell the pansy-flowered Martha Washingtons (Pelargonium domesticum) to home gardeners. Almost every yard flaunts these gorgeous beauties. In other sections, they are sold only as spring gift plants or as Decoration Day specials. Because they are not so easily grown as their relatives, the zonals, you may find it wise to buy rooted cuttings and grow them on in a cool greenhouse. You can get assorted labeled varieties in red, pink, purple, and white for about $10.00 per hundred. Plant these directly into 3- or 4-inch pots. Water freely and keep at a temperature around 55 degrees.

Good sellers are Empress of Russia, Jungle Night, Carmine Queen, Misty Rose, Stardust, San Diego, Mrs. Mary Bard, Ballerina, Azalea, Mary Elizabeth, and Senorita.

Ivy-Leaved Geraniums

You will sell ivy or trailing geraniums to gardeners who want hanging-basket plants, trailers for patios, window boxes, planters, urns, or poolside plantings. The ivy-leaved types do not thrive in extreme heat. Thus in areas other than California, they usually give sparse bloom in the outdoor garden. Still, their shiny green ivylike foliage makes them garden favorites.

Some of the sturdiest are Colonel Baden-Powell, lilac-white; Galilee, pink; Gordon’s Glory, scarlet; and Willy, deep red. Slender-stemmed varieties, ideal for baskets, include the rose-pink Mrs. H. J. Jones, silvery pink, The Blush, and white-and-rose Enchantress. Rapid growing trailers, perfect to drape walls, are the pink Galilee, light purple Diener’s Lavender, and scarlet Intensity.

Geraniums (Pelargoniums) for Patio plantings or window boxes or planters

Wherever you are located, you can be sure of an active demand for the geraniums (Pelargonium). You will sell bright-flowered singles and doubles as spring bedders, for foundation or patio plantings, for window boxes or planters. Zonals and Martha Wellingtons are specialties for Memorial Day, and the trailing ivies for poolside plantings and hanging baskets. The dwarf, cactus, fancy- and scented-leaved varieties are year-round sellers to collectors. The “unusual and fine-flowered” sorts (such a wide classification!) also appeal to collectors both advanced and amateur. Since geraniums ship well, selling them to collectors alone can provide a year-round business if you wish to specialize.

Pelargonium Types

The species, seldom available from local florists or plant counters, are a first-rate specialty for collectors or hybridizers who want to cross species and hybrids. And where can you find these buyers? Join the International Geranium Society (address, page 257) and obtain leads on collectors from other Society members; or advertise in the Society’s publication. Advertise in a national gardening magazine or run an ad in a local paper. You may find many collectors right in your own area who have previously had to “send away” for additions to their collections.

Tuberous-Rooted Pelargoniums

Tuberous-rooted pelargoniums are interesting but may have limited sales to only the more advanced collectors. However, if you intend to specialize, it will pay you to grow a few pots of them so as to have a well-rounded list to offer. These include some species with unusual coloring. Pelargonium gibbosum has nearly black-red flowers with chartreuse margins; P. fruta-ceum has petals spotted with yellow.

The Fragrant Ones

The scented-leaved sorts with odors suggestive of fruit, spice, or various perfumes appeal to everybody. Place a pot of the old favorite, rose-scented Pelargonium graveolens to the front of a counter, and as you talk with a customer invite him to press the leaves with his fingers to get a whiff of the delightful fragrance. Very likely he will want to buy the plant. Other favorite scenteds include the lemon P. crispum, peppermint P. tomento-sium, coconut P. grossularioides, nutmeg P. fragrans, apple P. odoratissimum, and apricot P. Ninon. The pungence of pine is given off by the leaves of P. denticulatum.