Scented geraniums make easy to look after house and patio plants with their aromatic leaves used in pot pouriis and for flavouring. This variety produces pretty pink flowers 9x9cm pot (8cm depth)
Description
- Aromatic
- Easy to grow indoors
- Attracts bees
- Good for pot pourii
Pelargoniums, native to South Africa have become a firm favourite with their ability to survive well on a windowsill and for their beautiful flowers and scented leaves. They are easy to cross breed and this means there are now a beautiful array of types to choose from. ‘Attar of roses’ is very popular for its fragrant rose scented leaves which are often used to impart flavour to sugar used for baking. The pretty pink flowers sit in clusters above the foliage.
Plant care
- Height: 60-100cm
- Type: tender
- Aspect: Sun
- Soil: Any/alkaline
- Flower colour: Pink
- Flowering period: June – September
These beautiful plants are relatively easy to look after and don't require lots of attention. They love to be in full sun, are reasonably drought tolerant and are better grown in a pot so they can be moved to a more sheltered position in winter as they aren't fully hardy. An unheated greenhouse or a porch is usually sufficient protection unless it is very cold or you live in a very cold area of the UK. The good news is that they make very good house plants and don't like to be over watered - good for those of us that are a bit sporadic in our watering of indoor plants.
Usage
The aromatic oil of rose geranium is popular in the perfume and cosmetics industry and the leaves can be used in pot pourii mixtures. Scent from the leaves can be extracted by layering a few in a jar with castor sugar and sealing for a week – this sugar can then be used to make delicious cakes and biscuits or used to make a syrup to top ice creams or add to sparkling water and ice for a refreshing hot weather drink. The flowers look beautiful floated into summer