Scented geranium
Pelargonium
With fragrances of fruits, flowers, spices, and even chocolate, scented geraniums delight the senses. The plant’s tactile leaves — some fuzzy, some smooth — come in a wide range of shapes and hues. They have been favorites of herb and indoor gardeners since Victorian times. They are hardy in Zones 10-11 and warmer parts of Zone 9 but can be grown as annuals or houseplants in colder regions. Most scented geranium flowers are smaller and less showy than annual bedding geraniums, but they can create an attractive bonus to the fragrant foliage. Plants grow up to 3 feet tall and wide.
Light: Part Sun, Sun
Type: Annual, Herb, Houseplant, Perennial
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Width: 12-36 inches wide
Flower color: Pink, White
Seasonal features: Fall bloom, Spring bloom, Summer bloom, Winter bloom
Problem solvers: Deer resistant, Drought tolerant
Special features: Cut flowers, Fragrance, Low maintenance
Zones: 9-11
How to Grow Scented Geranium Indoors
Place the plant in the light of a sunny, south-facing window. Scented geraniums grow best when they receive at least five hours of sunlight daily.
Maintain temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Allow the soil to dry to within one-half inch of the surface, and then water the pot thoroughly. Empty the saucer under the pot after about 30 minutes so that the roots aren’t left sitting in water. Let the soil dry to a depth of 2 inches between waterings in winter.
Feed scented geraniums by watering the pot with liquid houseplant fertilizer every two weeks in spring, summer and fall. Do not fertilize the plant in winter
Pinch out the tips of vigorous stems in spring and summer to keep the plant neat and bushy. Trim the long stems on vigorous varieties just above a leaf node if necessary to control the size of the plant.
Repot scented geraniums annually in spring to renew the potting soil and give the roots room to grow. Use general purpose potting soil and a pot no more than 1 inch larger in diameter than the current pot. If you would like to maintain the plant at its current size, put it into the same pot or another pot of the same size.
