Jane recommends pruning geraniums and pelargoniums back by between one third to one half during March or April. Some Types of Geranium. The first thing to look at is whether it is just a few leaves going yellow or whether the whole plant is looking a bit sick. This not only helps prevent overgrown geraniums, but will also reduce or fix leggy geranium plants. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. But – as in most families! Pelaragonium is derived from the Greek for stork, because the seed capsule is said to resemble a stork’s bill, while Geranium means crane, because it’s supposed to look like a crane’s bill. A. Zonal Pelargoniums (Pelargonium x hortorum). When someone tells me about a new geranium they are growing, I like to know right away whether they referring to a geranium (hardy) or a pelargonium (tender). They are all part of the Geraniaceae plant family. Many people wonder why their geraniums get leggy, especially if they keep them year after year. My guess is that all your plants are pelargoniums. Although they are often grown as annuals, they may overwinter in zones as cool as zone 7. Geranium flowers have 5 petals too, but naturally symmetrical and of equal size. or Geraniums as they are commonly known and still referred to, are great perennial plants for the easy care gardener.They require little attention once established and thrive in hot, dry conditions. If you used the word “geranium”, everyone understood you. Pelargoniums are semi-hardy and more sensitive to frost. Confusingly, Pelargoniums are often called ‘geraniums’, but the true Geraniums (or cranesbills) belong to a related genus of hardy herbaceous plants, with a number of native species in Britain. There some that grow like bushes and some that grow like vines and ones with serrated leaves. – while they have similarities, they differ in many ways too. I’m looking for a quick guide to tell true geraniums apart from pelargoniums. Pelargoniums can be thought of as the geranium cousin. They are often confused with common or scented geraniums, which are actually a related but completely separate genus called Pelargoniums. ( Log Out / What does a pelargonium look like? Why are pelargoniums called geraniums? I also have a number of what I thought were geraniums, but now know are pelargoniums doing ok (tend to get very leggy), and they survive winter outside no worries – however, we rarely get snow and do not get frosts, so maybe that is why? We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Where did the confusion come from? Which is which. What is the difference between a geranium and a pelargonium? The … For over 200 years now, gardeners have known that their garden geraniums (zonal geraniums, scented geraniums, ivy geraniums, etc.) You may think that red, pink, or white annual flowering plants with thick pleated leaves are called \"geraniums,\" since everyone calls them that. I hope you don’t mind if I link this blog to mine. It may come as a surprise to know theres more than one type of geranium. These woody-stemmed, upright 2-foot-tall geraniums are also called Martha Washington geraniums, royal or French geraniums. The tall-stemmed flowers with ball-shaped blooms are actually Pelargoniums as classified by their genus or Pelargonium × hortorum according to their species. The seed capsules, therefore, are essentially identical. For those who don’t quite get the difference, here’s a quick summary: Originally, pelargoniums had asymmetrical flowers, but that trait has been bred out of many of them. I have several of the “true” geraniums doing very well (aka taking over some areas) in my temperate/sub-alpine shady garden (Victoria, Australia). True geraniums are perennials called cranesbill geraniums. Zonal geraniums, the most popular and widely known geraniums, are actually not geraniums at all. Geraniums always have symmetrical flowers. Geranium flowers come in a variety of colors. Geraniums and pelargoniums are often conflated, and it's true they're in the same plant family. Cold-hardy (there are a very few exceptions); So there you go. The first geraniums did not come to Europe until the 17th century. The name Pelargonium derives from the Greek term pelargós meaning stork because, when the flowers form a seed head, it resembles the long and slender beak of a stork. To distinguish them from the tender (half-hardy) pelargoniums, few of which can survive the winter in temperate climates, we took to calling the latter “hardy geraniums”. 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