There is no reason why your geraniums should not flower all summer. When you would like your geraniums plants to flower well into late summer, one of the best things you can do, is to grow them from seed.
Growing Geraniums From Seed
What are the benefits of growing geraniums from seed? The geraniums that you buy in your local store or garden center, have more than likely been forced. What does that mean? That means that they have been made to flower early.
That is great when you want to put on an early show in your home or garden. The downside is that the geraniums that you spent your hard earned cash on, may not last all summer.
Controlling the flowering period of geraniums is not easy. However, you are much more likely to do so when you grow them from seed.
Is It Difficult To Grow Geraniums From Seed?
No, it is not very difficult. The trick to get your geraniums to bloom all summer is knowing when to sow the seeds.
Of course, this depends a little bit on your location in the world. If the summer in your part starts early, say June, it is a good idea to start off your geranium seeds in the first week of April. That will give your geraniums a chance to get established before June.
Once they are established, you need to look after them and lavish attention on them.
Tips For Making Your Geraniums Last All Summer
The first thing you must not do, is to keep your geraniums in the sun all day. That will cause them to bolt and grow leggy. Yes, they will need to get sunshine hours, but geraniums don’t need as much sunshine as you may think.
Morning sunshine or evening sunshine is better for geraniums. The midday summer sun is simply too much for them. Make sure that you “cater” for their sunshine needs and your geraniums will last for a longer period of time.
They will also benefit from the right feed. The favorite feed of geraniums is tomato feet. The other feed that they love, is the water that you boiled your vegetables in. Let it cool and water them with it.
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- Remove Dead Flowers and Leaves
You also need to remove flowers and leaves. Yes, it is true. Geraniums really are the prima donnas of the plant world. They love being fussed over and like to be the center of your affections.
That means you need to spend a little bit of time with them every day. Perhaps you don’t need to talk to them, but you certainly need to make sure you remove leaves and spent flowers.
Geraniums are great flowers. Treat them the right way and they will last beyond summer. Many varieties bloom into October when you look after them. Remember to take cuttings and place the original plant somewhere cool until the next summer.
Gradually expand your collection. You may even want to challenge yourself and grow some scented geraniums next year.
