Scented geraniums for hanging baskets

10 years ago

I've been reading up on scented geraniums and planning to buy a few to grow in hanging baskets as houseplants. I contacted a few vendors who informed me that most scented geraniums grow too big to keep as houseplants. I was particularly interested in Apple, Brilliant Pineapple, Coconut and Peach. Any thoughts? I would also love it if the plants were reliable bloomers (indoors winter/outdoors summer) with pretty flowers. Any suggestions appreciated.

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Comments (4)

dowlinggram
10 years ago
If you were told by growers they are too big for house plants they more than likely are. I don't know too much about them but I do know that most scented geraniums have small flowers. It's the leaves that have the scent not the flowers.
Edie
10 years ago
How big is "Too big to be a houseplant?" Is that with or without pruning?

Liz, I think what you actually need to worry about is whether they are suitable for hanging baskets, since that's how you want to grow them. Scented geraniums vary in their natural sizes and growth habits. A plant that only wants to grow straight up is going to look silly in a hanging basket even if the plant is a reasonable size. Hanging baskets look best with spreading or trailing plants. Look for those words in catalog descriptions. Do an internet image search for the varieties you want to grow, so you can see what a mature plant looks like and what the blooms look like. And if you can find a place locally that sells them, try to sniff before you buy. Scent perception varies in humans, and you may not think they smell like their names.

I've grown a few scenteds. From your post it sounds like you really want a flowering plant, and scented geraniums are mainly a foliage plant. I've grown several that never flowered for me, ever. If you grow them, do it because you enjoy the leaves. I only have one right now, "Lady Plymouth." She does flower, but only in summer when I let her get big, and never as exuberantly as the zonals and ivies. Dowlinggram is right about the flowers being small. I cut my "Lady Plymouth" back to stumps in fall, as I do for my zonal and ivy geraniums. None of them bloom in winter with this treatment. They have to grow back into decent size plants, which takes until spring, before they can bloom again.

This post was edited by edie_h on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 17:53
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Hi there, I figured you guys would be the experts to ask. I bought a "coconut geranium" from Richters Herbs. Nice foliage scent. I was wondering about the blossoms though. I researched pictures on google images and the blooms look pretty but tiny. Despite being tiny, do they appear in any great number or does the plant just throw out a few small blossoms at a time? I am thinking of putting this plant in a hanging basket but debating if I should include at least one other annual in the pot so at least there's always something blooming. I guess it's just a new way of thinking, I'm used to annuals that bloom their heads off (but have gone to more attractive foliage annuals as well). Thanks for your input, Glen
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earthnut- delish??? Are you a Philip A Craig fan? (JW & Zeeolinda Jackson on Martha's Vineyard) I am!!! You know, this year at fair, (where I bring bushel baskets of flowers and plants to decorate around our buildings,) I spent a lot of time with one of our fair announcers, who is blind. He had heard I brought all those flowers, and kindly asked questions about them. I started to think more about making my flower baskets 'accessable' to more than just sighted individuals. Especially since this gent and many others, spend so many hours making our fair great. I usually put a basket out by the fair office trailer to thank those folks, and that's where this gentleman is usually at, making announcements. Maybe next year's bushel baskets should have some scented pellies. I definitely want to put Lamb's ear, in there, and some Elijah's blue fescue or prairie dropseed for touch appeal, as well. The greenhouse just up the road from me has a great selection; maybe I should go do a little shopping. Jean
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But the birds are IN amongst the geranium, are they not? Will she be able to wrap the geranium without wrapping the birds? And if she manages to wrap it, how will the mother react? Hmm... Mehearty, does the basket hang under the porch roof, or is it farther out and exposed? Can it be moved further under the roof, like next to the house wall? Would that be enough to protect the geraniums? Is it possible to hang something over the basket from the roof (as opposed to laying it directly on the basket), possibly leaving a bit of access for the mother to get in and out? I hope you figure this one out - for the sake of the geraniums and the birds! :) Dee
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I don't know about rooting them that way, but you can definitely make them fill out by trimming them back. Lantana are easy to root using the layering method. I've never done it another way.
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msplankton
9 years ago
may i ask a question on someone's thread? first time for me, and i chose this thread because i am looking for a scented red ivy geranium. any info would really help. thanks!
cherrisa
9 years ago
I have coconut and piÃÂ±a colada and they are trailers so they would be good with something like candy dancer.

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Scented geraniums for hanging baskets

Comments (4)

dowlinggram

Edie

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msplankton

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