Help with Regal Geraniums
 

Hi all,

I assume that you grow these geraniums (also known as Martha Washington)
in England. I live in the New York area and I believe these plants will
not bloom outdoors in our climate. I purchased this one plant during a
visit to Seattle last summer and kept it in my sunroom which is pretty
cool during the winter. Now it is blooming beautifully (and it has grown
a lot). I'm not sure what to do next, do I plant it outdoors (shade?)
in the spring even if it doesn't bloom? Or do I just trim it and
transplant it to a larger pot, put it in the shade outdoors and then
bring it back in at the end of summer? Or....anything else? Thanks so
much for any comments or suggestions you may have. Susana

Help with Regal Geraniums
 

On Sun, 2 Mar 2003 11:57:58 -0500 (EST), wrote:


Hi all,

I assume that you grow these geraniums (also known as Martha Washington)
in England. I live in the New York area and I believe these plants will
not bloom outdoors in our climate. I purchased this one plant during a
visit to Seattle last summer and kept it in my sunroom which is pretty
cool during the winter. Now it is blooming beautifully (and it has grown
a lot). I'm not sure what to do next, do I plant it outdoors (shade?)
in the spring even if it doesn't bloom? Or do I just trim it and
transplant it to a larger pot, put it in the shade outdoors and then
bring it back in at the end of summer? Or....anything else? Thanks so
much for any comments or suggestions you may have. Susana


In the UK in the winter we would let them 'rest' in a frost-free
green-house, giving it hardly any water. You could have taken
cuttings last August or later. To have a plant that is full of
flowers in the summer it needs to be pinched out regularly. The
members of our local group do this up to 10 weeks before our annual
show by which time they hope to have a plant that is absolutely
covered in flowers. (After the show the serious growers cut their
plants right down.) Start giving week feeds in Apr/May. If yours
is 'leggy' you could cut it back to a good shape in a few weeks and
maybe, after trimming the pieces you cut off, you could pot them
individually in small pots. Some of our members use vitamin C or
rooting powder. I dont't bother with either and my cuttings usually do
well. Diana