The Exotic Tricolor Zoning Geraniums in my containers...

About The Geranium

For the longest time Geraniums meant my 'mother-in-laws' garden. She always planted soldier rows of red zonal Geraniums in her front flowerbed, but would seldom deadhead. As the Gernanium flowers aged and strong winds howled, all of the petals fell and the flowerbed was left with empty stalks and a sea of red on the soil.

Today I plant the zonal variety in my two front containers (see the image below with Coleus and Fuchsia) and then two containers for the back gazebo landing. While I do not plant them in my flowerbeds, I do find them very attractive for container planting.

I found the Tricolor Exotic quite by accident (the above image). The leaf coloring is what caught my eye with its attractive zoning. Once the blooms are spent, I snip them off at the base. This deadheading encourages the plant to produce more buds. It also keep the plant tidy. I planted the Bidens along with the Sweet Potato Vine (see the links below) as companion plants, however the rabbit found the Sweet Potato Vine unbearable to look at and ate both plants to the root. Thankfully this happened in late in the season.

As with all of my container plants, I water frequently and feed every third watering. Feeding is so important as the nutrients quickly drain from the soil.

By the way, when its time to rid the container of plants, remember to either take the Geraniums indoors or compost them. For more information on composting: Compost Guide.

There are so many companions plants to name, but here are a few of my favorites: Biden Annual, Sweet Potato Vine, Verbena, Marigolds, African Daisy, Dusty Miller, or the Ageratum Blue Hawaii.

Check out my Site Index Page for a listing of additional annuals and perennials to plant in your flower garden design.

Geraniums Features

• water frequently, although they do not wither when dry, but the leaves will turn yellow
• remove dead blooms by breaking off the flowers right at the base of the plant
• feed with 15-30-15 every 2 weeks in a flower bed or every 2nd feeding if growing in a container
• prefers at least six hours of sun per day
• they are bothered by caterpillars and bud wormss...so watch out
• grows to 12" tall
• if growing in a flower bed, plant 10" apart
• plants have a mounding habit in growth

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