Regal geranium noteworthy for its blooms
QI heard some glowing talk recently about “pansy geranium.” If you are familiar with this plant, what is your opinion of it? How hard is it to grow?
A: Pansy geranium is another name for the flowering plant we know best as Martha Washington (Lady Washington, Regal) geranium. Like the more commonly grown zonal geranium, it is actually a pelargonium (Pelargonium domesticum), a frost-tender plant most often grown as a potted specimen.
The Regal is the most handsome and dramatic of blooms among all the pelargoniums. The plants bear large, spectacular flowers, usually with dark blotches, above serrated, fragrant leaves. They are popular Mother’s Day gift plants.
Unlike zonal pelargoniums, which revel in full summer sun, the Regals grow and bloom best in cool conditions. They can be set outdoors from May to September, in a cool spot in filtered light, ideally at 13 C to 18 C for continuing bloom. Cuttings are easily rooted in August for more plants to winter indoors in cool temperatures and bright light, conditions that help to ensure bloom in the spring.
Q I’ve just come across several packages of spring flowering bulbs that I had carefully chosen and purchased early in the fall. Is it too late to plant them now, or must I throw them away or compost them?
A: There is no need to trash or compost the bulbs, but they do need to be planted now. With the late planting, the bulbs may flower later than they usually would. They’ll bloom at the expected time for their type in the following spring.
A flower bulb is a living thing. The bulbs we plant in the fall have embryonic flowers within them. To emerge and bloom in the spring, they need a cool rooting period. It’s not too late for this to happen.
I can guarantee you that you’re not alone. Every winter, there are perfectly conscientious gardeners who find they’ve forgotten to plant bulbs they have bought.