Geraniums are a joy — despite my best efforts

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/02/2020 (2354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

My mother spoke about the geraniums in the backyard where she grew up on Lily Street (now razed for the Disraeli Freeway construction).

The secret to making geraniums grow? After drinking tea (and, of course, reading the leaves left in the bottom of the cup), chuck the contents into the plants. They will grow like crazy, according to my mom.

I have tried to keep the tradition —  of growing geraniums, at least. I have discovered the surprising tenacity of this beautiful plant over the seasons, since my gardening skills include, well, sometimes forgetting to water them or shamefully leaving them outside to survive a night — or two — of a first fall frost, or even a first premature snow. Geraniums are truly hardy plants.

Some of my geraniums are over a decade old.   

An elderly neighbour with a fabulous yard once shared details of how to winter geraniums. She advised me to take geranium pots in for the winter and place them near a window where they will not get direct light and water them just enough to survive.

“We all need a rest”, she said.

In spring, when it feels more sunny (I suppose around late March sometime, she said to go be feel)  reposition the geranium pots in front of a sunny window and water them often. Nip off any buds and trim stringy stems.

When the days are fairly warm, presto — you will have a nicely blooming plant for your yard!

This winter revealed the true heroism of the simple geranium. Nearing fall time, I brought my plants inside, where they spent a long time sitting on the back stairs (not recommended) before I got around to putting them in their basement spot. I tripped over them (more than once) breaking off some stems and narrowly avoiding a fracture myself.

I placed the stems in a jar of water (from the knowledge of some distant memory), and they seemed to start drinking as if nothing had happened, remaining green and vibrant. Very quickly, long white tendril-like roots grew from the broken end.

The geranium’s power of regeneration is amazing!

I look forward to visiting the bedding plant store in spring to see the latest geranium colours produced by sophisticated horticultural science. I will check to see if my favourites can still be found, like tango neon pink and purple, or moonlight lavender (both colours seem to glow, even more so in the changing light of dusk).

You can’t beat this beautiful flower for its resilience, as well as intense, beautiful blooms. And if you see any neon purple, geraniums try them — they will be true to their name.   

Shirley Kowalchuk is a Winnipeg writer who loves her childhood home of East Kildonan where she still resides. She can be reached at sakowalchuk1@gmail.com

Shirley Kowalchuk
East Kildonan community correspondent

Shirley Kowalchuk is a Winnipeg writer who loves her childhood home of East Kildonan, where she still resides. She can be reached at sakowalchuk1@gmail.com

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