Blood-red garden geranium
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This flower has been widely known since the early 16th century. Since that time, blood-red geranium has become a popular garden and indoor plant. Today this flower is cultivated as an obligatory attribute of decorating estates - it is easy to care for and unpretentious to the living conditions of most climatic zones.
Garden blood-red geranium (Geranium sanguineum)
Blood-red geranium is a type of herbaceous perennial plants. In some sources it is referred to as blood-red geranium or purple-red geranium, also known as Pelargonium red. The flower belongs to the Geraniev family. The peculiarity of the plant is its long, gnarled roots. The plant is perennial, in one place without transplanting it can grow for 13-15 seasons.
Blood red geranium
The Geranium Sanguineum plant, growing, forms a spherical bush 20-50 cm high. The shape of the bush is spherical - it can reach almost half a meter in width. Feature of flowering - a large number of inflorescences flowering continuously throughout the season.
Breeding work has been purposefully conducted since the second half of the 19th century. During this time, about 250 varieties of geraniums have been bred. The plant is widely used in folk and traditional medicine.
Geranium Max Fry
During the growing season, a large number of leaves are formed. They easily tolerate frosts and rather long periods of winters.
The flowers have a semi-double texture. The plant differs in a wide palette of colors. The dominant shades are purple or pink. The size of the flower is 3.5-4 cm. Blood-red geranium blooms only in sunny areas, flowering in partial shade and shade is practically not observed.
Plant varieties and popular winter-hardy varieties
For flower lovers, several varieties of geraniums have been bred, which differ not only in unpretentiousness in growing and caring. Many of them have extremely interesting exteriors.
- Kenon Mills is a popular geranium variety with beautiful light pink flowers of uniform color. The variety is only winning the hearts of florists, but it has every chance of becoming one of the favorites in the list of favorite varieties.
- Alan Blum is a geranium variety distinguished by its delicate pink flowers. One of the most common geranium varieties. Possesses high frost-resistant properties. Unpretentious, suitable for growing in most climatic zones.
- "Striatum" is a flower of the summer flowering period. The peculiarity lies in the large number of flowers. The striatum is literally covered with inflorescences. The variety is very popular in garden and park compositions due to its abundant long flowering. This variety is also often called the crane because of the fruits that form after flowering, which are very similar to the crane's beak.
- Max Fry is one of the most popular geranium varieties among garden designers. The plant has large, densely arranged pink flowers. Flowers attract attention with clearly drawn dark veins.
- Horizon is the common name for several geranium varieties, the most popular of which are Horizon Red Ice and Horizon Star. The varieties have an interesting color of flowers, with a contrasting border around the edges.
Striatum variety
- Album is a geranium variety with delicate white flowers and specific decorative foliage. Album belongs to large-flowered varieties, flower diameter often reaches 3-3.5 cm. Album tolerates frost well and has a long flowering period.
- "Maxima" is a geranium with large double flowers with a bright rich cherry edging. Maxima gets along well with other types of geraniums, while emphasizing its individuality.
- "Maverick Star" - a variety characterized by a compact structure of the bush, a large number of inflorescences and dense rich foliage. Maverick will appeal to those who do not have the opportunity to have a large flower bed.
- Vision pink is one of the most compact geranium species. Vision is a small bush, only 15 cm in height, goes well with tall plant species.
Planting blood-red geraniums in open ground
To obtain long-term flowering, much depends on the choice of the site for planting geraniums in the open field and the creation of conditions for growth.
Vision pink grade
- Location selection
For geraniums, it is recommended to choose a location with a lot of sunshine. The flower tolerates the shade painfully. But do not plant it in the sun. Direct sunlight for 4-6 hours a day in the summer will be enough for him.
- How to prepare the soil and flower for planting
For planting geraniums, it is recommended to choose a light and nutrient-rich soil. In the open ground, they dig a hole two to two and a half times larger than a pot. With constant planting, the size of the pit is recommended to be 60 × 60 cm.
Planter with blooming geraniums
How to care for pelargonium in summer
Experienced gardeners say about blood-red geranium, that if planting and care is carried out according to the rules, then in the first year it is able to give abundant growth and bloom. In the summer months, proper watering and feeding are important factors here.
Watering rules and humidity
Geranium cannot be called a moisture-loving plant, but this does not mean that you need to forget about watering. Watering is carried out evenly, with the obligatory loosening of the soil under the bush.
At high temperatures, watering is carried out 1 time in 4-5 days, under normal conditions, 1 watering in 7-10 days is enough.
Top dressing and soil quality
Top dressing is carried out with mineral and organic fertilizers. For the summer months, the use of complex mineral or aqueous solutions of organic fertilizers is recommended.
When grown at home, red geranium prefers slightly acidic or neutral soil. In open ground conditions, it is recommended to choose a neutral environment; garden soil is suitable here.
MAVERICK STAR grade
Pruning and replanting
In the summer, pruning is done only on wilted stems and inflorescences. It is recommended to transplant by dividing the bush every 3-4 years. Planting in the summer in open ground has a positive effect on the condition of the plant. But then, in the fall, you will have to repeat the procedure in the reverse order.
Winter geranium care
Before the onset of winter cold, shoots are cut off, so that 2-3 lower leaves remain. Bloody geranium is a frost-resistant plant, but many flower growers still recommend covering the bushes for the winter.
Features of flowering plants
Blood-red geranium blooms during the summer and can last the entire season. However, this property is not typical for all varieties of this species. Some varieties have their own distinct periods of growth, flowering and dormancy.
A period of activity and rest
Most varieties start flowering in June-July. It lasts until mid-August. Fruiting begins in September. Some varieties have an extended flowering period from the first half of June to the first decade of September.
After the roses begin to wither and the seeds fall out of the capsules, the plant begins to enter a dormant period, which lasts until the end of April of the next year.
Self-seeding usually begins to bloom in the second year, seedlings give the first color in the year of planting.
Types and forms of flowers
In red geraniums, flowers bloom unevenly, usually one or two at a time. Flowers collected in inflorescences bloom within 2-3 days. Single large ones usually open within 3-5 days on one plant. The petals have straight, semi-double and double ends.
Flower reproduction methods
When breeding geraniums, both seed propagation and flower division are used.
Reproduction by dividing a flower
When transplanting a plant in the spring, it is recommended to simply break the bush into several parts. Plant each part in a separate hole and water abundantly. The survival rate with this method is more than 95%.
Dividing the bush before spring planting
Seed reproduction
For seed propagation, it is recommended to grow seedlings. With self-seeding propagation, survival rate is no more than 5-7%.
Planting time for seedlings in late April - early May. The seeds can also be scattered in late fall.
Growing problems, diseases and pests
The greatest number of problems in geraniums is associated with a violation of the water regime. Usually waterlogging causes the death of the plant. The most dangerous in this case is considered a large amount of moisture at low temperatures.
If ticks, whiteflies and aphids are found, treatment with chamomile infusion is recommended. The solution is sprayed over the entire surface of the plant, the leaves are especially carefully processed. After 2-3 hours of action of the solution, it must be washed off.
When fungal diseases appear, treatment with Bordeaux mixture and Fitosporin is recommended. Processing should be done according to the schedule: once every 10 days with Bordeaux mixture, and after 7-10 days with Fitosporin.
Following all the recommendations and tips, you can breed a beautiful and healthy plant in the flowerbed, which will delight the eye for more than one year. The red geranium variety invariably catches the eye, pleases both the owner of the site and his guests.
