To your surprise, you will find that geraniums are shade tolerant plants. They will grow in sun, but to be honest, geraniums don’t like to spend their entire day in the sun.
What Happens When Geraniums Grow In Shade?
There are many advantages of providing some shade for your geraniums.
First of all, you will find that they will last longer. Geraniums that are placed in full sun don’t last as long as the ones grown in partial shade.
The first thing you will notice, is that they become leggy. That means the plant is spending more time on producing a tall stem trying to get away from the sun. Look closely and you will find that they are more or less striving to get towards the shade.
Do Geraniums In Shade Flower?
Geraniums grown in partial shade flower much better than their counterparts grown in full sun. Not only will the flowers last for a longer period of time, but your shade grown geranium will flower in abundance. Count the number of flowering heads, and you will soon appreciate that it has more flowers.
Another thing you will notice is the color. A geranium growing in shade will often show off with a more intense display of color.
Many of us think of the sun drenched square in Seville in Spain when we think about geraniums. Yes, it is true, geraniums do very well there in this part of Spain.
However, you need to know the geraniums growing in Seville’s terraces and small squares, are a special variety. The other thing you need to know, is that they don’t grow in the sun all day. During the hottest part of the day, they can enjoy the benefit of shade.
Are There Geraniums That Love Shade?
Yes, there are some varieties of geraniums that love shade. They mainly include the leaf scented varieties.
When you have very little sun to offer your geraniums, the best thing you can do, is to buy scented geraniums.
One scented geranium that does very well in shade, is the oak-leaf scented geranium. This small squat geranium with dark leaves loves shade. The flowers are small, but rub its leaves and it will reward you with a burst of oak tree scent.
Prince of Orange is another scented geranium that loves shade. When placed in sun, it will not only stop releasing clouds of orange scent, it will also grow very leggy. It will not completely stop flowering, but it will certainly produce fewer flowers.
When you want to enjoy your geraniums for an extended period of time, it is important that you do place them in the right position. It does not matter if they are indoors or outdoors, geraniums really do appreciate shade.
It will give them a chance to absorb water and all of those healthy nutrients that you have lavished on them. Look after them and they will carry on rewarding you with flowers for a long time. When they are looked after in the right way, geraniums will go on to flower in abundance into late summer.
