In some sections of the West Coast, they spill their flowers in brilliant profusion over slopes, banks, and low walls.
In a cool greenhouse or sunroom in winter, they’re among the brightest plants in sight. In summer, hanging baskets or window boxes, in any climate except the hottest, bloom and bloom until you think the basket will burst.
Wherever they’re well-grown, the ivy-leaved geraniums put on a terrifically colorful show.
New Ivy-Leaf Geranium Varieties
In this big branch of the geranium family (Pelargonium peltatum hybrids), wide new varieties with bigger and brighter flower clusters are introduced yearly.
All have the characteristic nearly-woody zig-zag stems and 5-pointed, ivy-like leaves of glossy green.
Some grow slowly and keep fairly compact, so they exhibit more flowers per square inch of occupied space.
Others trail far and wide, with stems 2’ feet long or more, so the trailing and dangling effect are more like a cascade.
Blossoms of Ivy
Flowers are single or double, in plenteous clusters, with colors ranging from white through shades of blush-pink, lavender, rose, salmon, orange, and scarlet, to deepest, velvety red.
Many blossoms are penciled with contrasting colors. Blue-ribbon flower show specimens are often trained on a fan-shaped trellis or as a single-stemmed standard topped by a fountain of flowering branches.
Growing Requirements
Like most geraniums, these are generally cool-growing plants, preferring night temperatures no higher than 68° degrees Fahrenheit.
They require plentiful sunlight to flower their best, which means full sun in winter and most of the summer except in very hot areas.
And don’t water them to death. Instead, let the soil dry out almost completely, then wet it thoroughly.
Dry, yellowing lower leaves are usually a sign of too-constant moisture and humidity, too-high temperature, or both.
Dry, yellowing lower leaves are usually a sign of too-constant moisture and humidity, too-high temperature, or both.
Most ivy geraniums will grow more compact and better branched if the stem tips are pinched out once or twice early in the growing season or while the plants are young.
Some growers also recommend keeping them slightly pot-bound, with regular feedings of balanced fertilizer, for a more furious winter bloom.
Best In Hanging Baskets
I like them best in hanging baskets, and I plant two or three small plants in a six- or eight-inch basket for the fullest, most effective show.
Standard wire or redwood baskets lined with sheet moss or long-fibered sphagnum seem to supply the air needed by the roots.
When the soil is dry, I dip the basket in a bucket or sink full of water, then set it back to drain before hanging it back in the window or outdoors.
Ivy Propagation Methods
Ivy-leaved geraniums can be grown from seeds, but since they are complicated hybrids, the seedlings may be a motley group with only a few of real decorative value.
More predictable propagation is by stem cuttings—in June for winter-flowering plants; in fall and winter for summer-flowering ones.
Because the stems are juicy, the cuttings need to be set aside in a cool, shady spot until the cut ends dry and callus before they are put in for rooting.
A suitable rooting medium is coarse sand or perlite, kept on the dry side in a propagating box or case.
Or the cuttings can be inserted, after hardening, in a sandy soil mix in the pots in which they are to grow, and kept shaded for a few days, then in some sun until new tip growth shows that roots have been formed.
List Of Ivy-Leaf Geranium Varieties
Local growers and mail-order geranium specialists offer so many dozens of named or unnamed varieties of ivy-leaf geraniums that a complete list of those available would fill a small book.
Here are a few of my favorites to tempt you to try these splendid plants.
Deep and Dark Red Varieties
Among the deep, dark reds, Willy’ is fully double with strong, compact growth—a good bet for beginners.
- ‘Mexican Beauty’ is glowing and intense, with a long trailing habit of growth.
- `Cliff House’ is a trailer of medium length with double, lavender-pink flowers; good if you like pink shaded with lavender.
- ‘Lucky Strike,’ another medium trailer, is double, rosy pink.
- ‘Neon’ is a compact grower with medium-sized double cerise flowers.
White Varieties
Among the whites are the following:
- ‘Princess Victoria’ or `Enchantress’ is semi-double with red-penciled petals, a compact type.
- ‘Giant Salmon’ is a hardy bloomer, a little on the late side, with gigantic bronzy salmon flowers.
- ‘Apricot Queen’ is a tidy plant with flowers that open coral or salmon-pink and later turn to near-white.
44659 by Elvin Mcdonald