Geranium garden: planting and care, photo

The garden geranium is a culture beloved by the flower growers. Because of the beautiful inflorescences and decorative bush, it has become popular. The name of the flower is associated with the shape of the fruit, which resembles a crane beak or a beak of a stork. This flower is called differently in different countries: in Germany it is a "stork nose", in England and America - "crane", in Bulgaria - "health resort". In Russia this flower got its name from the Greek word "geranium".

Geranium is an unpretentious, widespread plant. It appeared in the 17-18 centuries in the south of England, in Europe, today has up to 280 species. Currently, new varieties of garden geraniums have been introduced. They are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions of our country, well tolerate the winter and have high viability. Garden geranium attracts specialists and amateurs in the field of breeding with its amazing quality - simplicity of cultivation.

Geranium garden: description

Garden geranium should not be confused with pelargonium. Geraniums are perennials. And pelargoniums belong to the genus of annual crops. These two plants are from the family of Geranium, but belong to different genera. Famous garden culture geranium was due to its ability to grow in the open ground, so it began to grow in gardens, flower beds.

White, red, pink, purple flowers are geraniums. Planting and leaving are easy enough. This plant is a compact bush with openwork leaves of different sizes, which grows and forms a dense carpet. Leaves in geraniums come with rounded and pointed edges, with large and small lobules. The flowers of this garden crop measuring 2.5-4.5 cm in diameter have five widely opened petals of various colors, except for the shades of orange and yellow flowers.

Bushes of geraniums are miniature and high. Some new varieties of this plant do not break down under heavy rain and wind. The garden geranium is beautiful even without flowers, it is perfectly combined with other plants, it is decorated with garden plots.

Garden geranium: growing conditions

Came to our gardens from the foothills, meadows and fringes of geranium garden. Care and cultivation of this culture does not take much time. Geranium is unpretentious to the soil on which it grows. But for abundant and long flowering, a loose, fertile, well-ventilated one will do. If the soil is clayey, fertilize it with organic substances. Ideally prepared area for planting garden geranium is one in which peat moss and manure were added.

The open and illuminated place loves geranium garden. Planting and caring for her do not require much time. Individual species can grow in shaded areas on dry soil. The main thing is that it is rich in nutrients and well drained. This plant is characterized by an average level of moisture demand.

Planting geranium garden

In early spring and early autumn, planted geranium. Planting and care in the open ground begins with the preparation of the flowerbed. For this, it is necessary to dig it together with humus or moss. Then, with a sharp knife, you should divide the rhizome into parts or separate the side fragments from the bush and plant them. After this, pour well and mulch the surface to preserve moisture.

When planting, remember the ability of the plant to expand in breadth. Therefore, the area should be calculated taking into account the growth prospects. The distance between the bushes should be 25-30 centimeters. It needs to be left also because the garden geranium does not like transplantation. A long distance allows the flower to grow for a long time in one place. On this occasion, one should not worry, in a year the plants will close, no gaps will be seen.

Some species of garden geraniums with large leaves and elongated petioles are planted at a distance of double the length of the petiole. In this case, the shape of the bush and decorativeness will be better preserved. Geranium garden is unpretentious for planting. Planting and leaving do not require effort. In addition, they do not take much time.

Garden geranium: care

This garden culture is undemanding to care. It does not need to be weeded, since the branches of the bushes grow very tightly, and the weeds do not have room for development. The geranium garden also does not need loosening. Care of the free space between the bush, if it was formed, can be replaced by mulching the soil.

Garden geranium does not need pruning. When the flower blossoms, you do not need to remove the inflorescence. They themselves find a place under the foliage. They hide so cleverly that the decorativeness of the plant is not disturbed.

Can grow on a flower bed with other flowers geranium garden. Care and cultivation will have to be diversified. Geranium should be weeded until dense foliage appears and the soil is loosened. While the twigs are not entwined and do not form a continuous carpet, add mineral and organic fertilizers. Over the fertilizer, you need to put a small layer, five centimeters, mulch. Throughout the summer, the plant needs watering. Geranium refers to plants that are resistant to dryness. But this does not mean that it does not need watering at all.

This garden crop is not subject to various diseases and pest damage, since it has a specific aroma with phytoncids. It repels insects and infections. Thus, geranium garden protects against diseases and insects not only themselves, but also in the neighborhood growing plants.

Reproduction

The geranium garden does not like transplantation. Planting of culture assumes its growth in one place for at least ten years. This plant reproduces by segments of a rhizome, cuttings and seeds.

To obtain an adult flowering plant in a short time, it is better to propagate geranium garden fission bush. It is recommended that it be excavated from the ground before or after flowering.

For reproduction by rhizomes only young shoots are selected. The buds of the plant must be well developed. All obsolete, faded parts must be removed. In the new place, the garden geranium gets well and very quickly gives new roots.

Cut geraniums can multiply geranium garden. Landing and maintenance in the open ground begins in early spring or in the middle of autumn. At this time, pruning is carried out. For reproduction, any part of the plant should be planted in the ground, watered and covered with a film.

Planting Seeds

Propagates not only rhizomes, but also seeds geranium garden. Planting seeds takes a little longer. Characteristic is that with this multiplication, varietal qualities disappear, a completely different sort of this type of garden culture is obtained.

It is better to sow fresh seeds. But it is not easy to collect them. You need to be patient. Seeds are in capsules, the valves of which burst when ripe, and the seeds scatter in all directions. A pod with immature seeds is green. And when they are ripe, it becomes brown.

But the shades of the color of the seeds are different and depend on the variety. You can put a paper bag on the pod, which will ensure that the seeds do not scatter at full maturity, and you will assemble them. Of course, there is a lot of trouble, but it's worth it, because the next year the seedlings will blossom.

Happens, that gives ample samosov geranium garden. Planting and nursing require additional effort if you do not want uncontrolled reproduction of the plant. To do this, trim unripe boxes with seeds and all the faded flowers.

Garden geranium: how to keep it in winter?

Excellent winter in the climatic conditions of our country geranium garden. Planting and leaving in winter do not require much effort. Before the onset of the first frosts, the plant must be cut off. Only small-stalked geranium needs to be covered with brushwood for winter. All other species are characterized by high winter hardiness and do not need shelter. Cover material for them is snow.

Kinds

Favorite plant growers - geranium garden. Planting and care (photo is in the article) for all species are approximately the same. For a long time, various kinds, varieties and forms of this garden culture have been used in floriculture. High and low plants are divided.

High plants include a height of more than 50 cm. These are geranium marsh, Georgian, blood-red, forest, meadow, small-stalked, flat-petalled.

Low - a plant 10 to 50 cm high. These include geranium, Himalayan, Dalmatian, krupnokornevischnuyu, ashy, pyrenean, geraniums of Endris.

Diseases and pests

Garden geraniums are usually not exposed to diseases. But sometimes you can notice slight damage to powdery mildew or patchiness of brown color. To prevent the disease from spreading, you must cut the plant immediately after flowering, after which it will become stronger. On geraniums there will appear young healthy leaves that are well tolerated by the cold season. Large bushes, if damaged by some disease, you need to mow fully, as soon as they bloom. The plant will grow again and blossom a second time.

When attacking with a brown patch, all shoots are cut and burned. But it should be noted that the garden geranium can catch a fungal infection only in a cold and rainy summer. The bush from this disease will not seriously suffer.

Rarely, but it happens that the roots are biting the larva of the beetle of a beetle. The plant ceases to grow. Bugs eat leaves, and their edges wither. You need to dig up the geranium and check the root. This should be done at night, when the beetles are active. If you find the larvae, remove them and spray the root and the whole plant with the fungicide solution.

Garden geranium - beauty and legends

The beauty of flowers can be argued endlessly. But not every flower is honored to be an object for versification. The authors of the poems are our contemporaries and poets of the past centuries. Geranium is a symbol of home, warmth and comfort. They also call her grandmother's flower. Now it is not the personification of something that is outdated, but a symbol of the native, domestic and familiar.

Many peoples of the world have geraniums as a symbol of cheerfulness, strength and health. Its flowers, according to popular belief, are an excellent privorotnym means. Carry them always with you, and your beloved will pay attention to you. In India, white geranium grows at the entrance to any house. In this way people are protected from penetration into the dwelling of snakes, which avoid any contact with white geraniums during its flowering. Even leaflets bring benefit. If you put them in jam, you can avoid the appearance of mold.

Using

Geraniums are the most reliable plants in gardening. They blossom from the end of spring to the beginning of frost. Successfully used garden geranium in the decoration of gardens, alpine hills, it frames flower beds and lawns. As ground cover material, these types of geraniums are used, which have large roots. And tall varieties of this garden culture are planted next to perennial plants in mixed mixborders. Good looks garden geranium in the foreground of any site, where it is a color spot. Spectacular bright flowers, beautiful leaves, the original form of bushes and a specific flavor will adorn any garden.