First Red Geranium Bloom

My favorite color of geranium (pelargonium) is a deep red. (sometimes I think of it as a fire engine red or blood red. The first geranium bloom  is always special.

I re-plant several dormant geranium plants in mid January (when they start budding in the dark green garbage bags in the basement) It usually takes a few months for them to produce a bloom. The sun continues to get brighter and warmer as the plants grow more leaves. Eventually the first blooms begin but it takes longer than outside to produce a flower. The plants are placed in a southern exposure where the mid day sun gives them a splash of warmth for five or six hours.

I also have a snow white geranium blooming and a more traditional red geranium has just shed its petals. Soon, I will move these flowers to my greenhouse for a good shot of humidity which will stimulate faster growth and more blooms. Eventually, I will transplant some of these flowers into large pots for my deck and some will go directly into my front yard flower bed. I usually wait until memorial day to transplant to the garden. I am old fashioned and have learned from experience that there is not point in exposing these sensitive plants to a possible late frost. The frost will wipe them out. Even though the odds are small, I don't take the chance.

Happy geranium growing this season. See you in the Garden.