by Laura Christman, Scripps Howard News Service
Scented geraniums are an interesting group of potted personalities. They're all from the same family, yet they don't look anything alike. Some have leaves that could double for parsley, others sport roundish lobes or come in tooth-edged, oak shapes. Some are fuzzy, some are sleek. A few of the plants grow long and lanky, others are stout and sturdy. But where they really differ, is in their fragrance. The scents that fill the air and the names on their tags seem more appropriate to the ice cream counter than the garden: Cinnamon Rose, Lemon Meringue, Apple, Coconut, Snowy Nutmeg, Chocolate Mint and Peppermint Rose.
And those are just a few of the multitude.
True to its quirky nature, the scented geranium--which actually isn't a real geranium --has its aroma in its leaves, not its flowers.
Lynda Normandin stumbled across her first scented geranium about six years ago while at a bowling tournament in Southern California. She anted to take a gift back to her aunt and a florist suggested the Attar of Rose. Knowing that her aunt loves roses, Normandin thought, "Why not?"
That rose-scented geranium is still thriving in Aunt Jane Edwards' yard. It is now surrounded by some 300 other scented geraniums that the aunt and niece have raised together. It was the scents that hooked them.
It's All in the Leaves
"The value is in the leaves," Normandin says. When the leaves are rubbed, the plants release their perfumes, which range from woodsy and minty to fruity and rosy. Meeting up with a group of scented geraniums can be a fun rub-and-sniff encounter to see which scent--cold remedy, spicy deodorant, peach dessert, etc.--is encapsulated in the leaves.
"I love the apple. It makes you want to run home and make a pie," Edwards says. In addition to rubbing, rain, sprinklers and breezes can release the plants' fragrances. Edwards says once she realized how many scented geraniums were out there, she started collecting as many as she could. Because scented geraniums aren't widely available, she sent away to mail-order nurseries. She and Normandin now propagate their own cuttings and sell the plants. They have about 70 varieties.
"They are unique. That's the main attraction," Edwards says.
A Hot Garden Collectible
"I think people really enjoy collecting them," says Diane Colson, who has been raising scented geraniums for three years and carries 40 varieties at Sunflower Farm in Palo Cedro, California.
The plants add a beautiful scent to the yard, Colson says. At her previous home in Santa Cruz, she planted scented geraniums along the walkway. "The sprinklers would come on and the fragrance would let loose." She says the plants not only smell nice, but some have attractive variegated leaves. The plants also have flowers in spring and summer.
"Some have very beautiful, showy blossoms and some are very mundane," Normandin notes.
Uses Beyond the Garden
Scented geraniums have uses beyond the garden. The leaves are ideal for potpourri. Some varieties are used in teas, cakes, cookies and jellies.
Normandin keeps leaves in a drawer with dish towels in the winter. When a towel is taken out, it releases the fragrance of the scented leaves. "It takes that musty, winter smell out of the towels," she says.
When Normandin and Edwards first started growing scented geraniums, they were warned that the plants couldn't take chilly winters in Northern California. "Everyone said you can't grow them in this area because they will die," Normandin recalls.
Some did. Each winter claims a few plants. Others die back to a stick stage but are reborn in the spring. And some take the winters without flinching.
Edwards says it's best to keep the plants in pots and move them to a protected area close to the house or on a covered porch in the winter. Wrapping the containers in burlap and keeping the roots wet also help.
Colson says scented geraniums are an ideal container plant. "They look really nice along a patio, accompanied by other perennials and annuals."
Caring for Scented Geraniums
Edwards and Normandin say overwatering is the biggest peril. The Champaign-Urbana Herb Society on its Web site says if a plant's lower leaves turn yellow, it is getting too much water. If leaves drop without turning yellow, the plant is too dry.
The plants do best with morning sun and filtered afternoon sun, according to Edwards and Normandin. They advised applying a fertilizer once a month.
Twice a year--in the spring and fall--three to six inches of the plants' growth should be clipped off, Edwards says. These cuttings can be rooted by stripping off the bottom leaves and dipping them in a rooting hormone and then planting in a mixture of soil and vermiculite.
Normandin advises repotting scented geraniums every other year.
Photos by Jayme Halbritter / Redding Record Searchlight
