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Pelargonium ×hortorum
Also called Bedding Geranium, Fish Geranium, Horseshoe Geranium, House Geranium, Zonal Pelargonium
Zonal geranium is a hybrid of Pelargonium zonale and P. inquinans, grown for its round, dark-zoned leaves and long-blooming balls of red, pink or white flowers. It is a tropical perennial that thrives in full sun and is usually grown as a bedding or container plant.
Pelargonium × hortorum, commonly called zonal geranium, or garden geranium, is a nothospecies of Pelargonium most commonly used as an ornamental plant. It is a hybrid between Pelargonium zonale and Pelargonium inquinans. They are the group of Pelargonium cultivars, with leaves marked with a brown annular zone and inflorescence in the form of large balls of tight flowers, usually red, pink, or white. These are the most common geraniums of garden centers and florists, sold in pots for windowsills and balconies or planted in flowerbeds.
Availability includes the usual nursery "seed-grown" and the "cutting grown" types, which can easily be propagated at home by cuttings and planting side branches. Bracts on cuttings are to be removed, because they often rot. Rooting continues in good conditions for up to 3 weeks. Recently, there are varieties that can be propagated from seeds. Sown in a sandy substrate, it easily germinates at a temperature of 16–18 °C. Zonal geraniums grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 through 12. Zonal geraniums are basically tropical perennials and they overwinter in zones as cool as zone 7.
The whole plant with the exception of flowers gives off a characteristic smell. It blooms for a very long time (throughout the summer) and abundantly, however, most cultivated varieties do not produce seeds. During the year, it grows about 25–30 cm. It is a long-lived plant, however, older specimens become unkempt, because they are fattening with the bottom of the leaves and bloom less well.
Sorrel Leaf Pelargonium · Hooded crane's bill · Large Flower Pelargonium · Sweet scented geranium · Scarlet geranium · Butterfly Storksbill · Hanging geranium · Rasp-leaf pelargonium · Black Pelargonium · Night Scent Pelargonium · Grapeleaf geranium · Geranium
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pelargonium × hortorum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
