My Hanging Baskets 2009

These will be in my hanging baskets this year. It didn't take much imagination to come up with this old tried and true group of flowers, but this is an old fashioned combination that has worked so well for me in the past. Last year my flowers were enjoyed by the Japanese Beetles...so we'll see if they like what I picked out this time.
Asparagus Fern Wave Petunias

Bacopa

The Old Favorite....Red Geraniums

I shopped on Earth Day for just a few flowers for hanging baskets. I have had geraniums for many years, but I am embarrassed to admit that I never paid any attention to the difference between Zonal and Seed geraniums. I now know why my geraniums haven't been as large as some others that I have seen. I bought seed geraniums today. They were so reasonably priced and really very pretty. I guess they will be OK for my two baskets. I got some asparagus ferns, a couple of wave petunias and bacopa. Bacopa was relatively new to me about 7 yrs ago. Our garden club maintained large planters in our downtown. That was the first year we used bacopa. It really filled in and the blooms kept going for the whole season. I have ordered some scented geraniums too,and will get them on May 11th. I guess it will be the year of the geranium here. Here's some info that I found about geraniums.

Balisha

Types of Pelargonium Geraniums

Zonal geraniums

This is the term for the standard version of geraniums that are propagated vegetatively, by cuttings. Typically, they have large 4” too 6” round flower heads with each flower having double blooms held well away from the plant foliage. The leaves are also large– up to 4” across. The plant habit tends to be rather upright and well branched generally growing to about 18” in one growing season. There are always new series of geraniums being developed.

Seed geraniums

As the name implies, seed geraniums are grown from seed. They produce a more compact version of the zonal geranium, but with smaller single blooms on smaller 3” to 4” heads of blooms. These plants form low, compact mounds typically under a foot tall and wide. Seed geraniums are most often used in large landscape plantings and in smaller containers such as window boxes.

Ivy geraniums

Named for both their habit and their ivy-like leaves, these geraniums typically have leaves that are stiff and shiny. The branches are long and trailing. Flower clusters on ivy geraniums are about 2” to 3” across. Plants can spread over 2’ in one season. Ivy geraniums are great in hanging baskets and in window boxes and other containers.

Regal geraniums

These incredibly beautiful geraniums are great for early season color, but it is important to know they do not like the heat of summer and so they reduce the number of blooms they provide until the cool weather of fall. The Martha Washington geranium is a regal geranium.

Scented geraniums

Valued for their unique fragrances, scented geraniums are also worth growing for their distinctive foliage. While some varieties do occasionally bloom, scented geraniums usually are not grown for their flowers. The plant habit varies widely from one variety to another, as do leaf size, shape, color and texture. Some of the best rose-scented geranium varieties are Robert’s Lemon Rose, Alter of Roses and Snowflake Rose.