In spring and summer, geraniums with their sea of flowers are a real eye-catcheron the balcony at home. Both the hanging and upright varieties are very easy to care for and bloom all summer long. No wonder that the South African beauties are among the most popular balcony plants these days. If you would like to plant geraniums in your flower boxes, late spring (around mid-May) is the right time to do so. We give you useful tips for your balcony garden and explain when you should plant geraniums in the flower box, what distance you need to allow between the individual flowers and which companion plants are the perfect combination partners for geraniums.
Planting flower boxes with geraniums: an overview of the two growth forms
If you want to plant geraniums in a flower box, you can choose between two growth forms. Both hanging and standing varieties are sold in garden centers and nurseries. Which one you choose depends primarily on your own preferences. In principle, hanging geraniums take up significantly more space than standing varieties. Standing geraniums can also be growneffective with ground cover plantsand tall perennials, while hanging geraniums are displayed primarily as soloists in flower boxes.
Hanging geraniums in the balcony box: tips for care
Hanging geraniums (Latin: Pelargonium peltatum) are hybrid plants that reach a maximum height of 40 cm. Their shoots, up to one meter long, hang over the edge of the flower box. They cut a fine figure as soloists in the balcony box and attract everyone's attention with their bright colors. The hanging geraniums in the balcony box prefer shady locations. Perfect is oneWest facing balcony, which lies in full sun for several hours a day and in partial shade for several hours.
The geraniums, which originally come from Africa, also feel at home on the south-facing balcony as long as it is thereprovides sun protection. Balconies with an eastern or northern orientation are less suitable or not at all suitable. On the one hand because they are in the shade, but on the other hand because the plants are exposed to strong winds. Although geraniums can easily tolerate a breeze in summer, a windy location can damage the plant's sensitive shoots. If you want to plant hanging geraniums in a flower box, then you need a balcony roof. This protects the delicate flowers from the strong rays of the sun and rain in the summer months.
Standing geraniums: Popular planting partners
Standing geraniums (Pelargonium grandiflorum) reach a maximum height of 35 cm. They produce numerous flowers between May and October and are real eye-catchers in every flower box, both as soloists and in ensembleswith other summer flowers. The heat-loving flowers thrive best in sunny to partially shaded locations, require little water and are extremely easy to care for. You can overwinter standing geraniums in the flower box, but the plants need frost protection in the winter months. Most cultivars from England can easily survive even strong winds, but rain can damage the shoots and especially the sensitive flowers. That's why a balcony roof also makes sense for the standing varieties.
Planting flower boxes with geraniums: What you should consider
If you want to plant geraniums in a flower box, there are a few things to consider:
1.Choose a suitable flower box.Geraniums are considered uncomplicated and easy-care balcony flowers. So that thesummer flowering plantsTo feel comfortable in the flower box, they need a container with a large volume of soil. Larger balcony boxes that are at least 20 cm wide and at least 15 cm deep are ideal. The length depends on how many copies are to be placed in the box. Small flower boxes with a length of up to 40 cm can accommodate a maximum of 2 plants, larger containers with a length of 100 cm offer sufficient soil volume for up to 5 geraniums.
2.Allow for space in the balcony box for geraniums.The fast-growing geraniums need space in the balcony box. For most hybrids grown, the minimum distance between individual plants is 20 cm. However, when combined with other flowers, the different plants can be placed in the ground up to 30 cm apart.
3.Geraniums in the balcony box: what to plant with them?Choosing the right companion plants can prove to be a difficult task. We explain below which plant partners can be staged particularly effectively together with geraniums in the flower box.
4.Which soil is suitable for geraniums?The flowers need potting soil that is rich in nutrients and nitrogen. The so-called geranium soil is sold in flower shops. The growing substrate is made from raised bog peat and enriched with lime fertilizer and clay minerals. It has a pH of 5.5 to 5.7 and contains between 150 mg/l and 180 mg/l nitrogen.
5.When to plant geraniums in the flower box?From April you can put them in the ground and around mid-May they can be placed outdoors. The weather plays an important role here, because geraniums can only tolerate frost to a limited extent or not at all. That's why hobby gardeners should not plant the balcony box until the end of April. Cuttings and young plants then need at least a week to get used to the spring weather. As a rule, the temperatures during the day should be at least 15 degrees Celsius so that you can put the houseplants on the balcony. During this acclimatization phase, you should bring the flowers into your apartment overnight. Because at night the temperature often drops below 10 degrees Celsius and the growth of the flower slows down.
Plant flower boxes with geraniums: This is how you ensure lush growth
If you buy geraniums from a garden center or nursery, bring them home in a planter. You must first repot the flowers in a suitable balcony box. But plants that have overwintered at home also need to be repotted before the gardening season begins. Proceed as with other plants and first place a drainage layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the balcony box so that irrigation and rain water can drain away quickly. Then fill the flower box 2/3 full with soil. Dig up the rooted flower from the culture pot. Place the geraniums in the balcony box at a distance. You need around 2.5 liters of soil per specimen. This will ensure that the geraniums have enough space to develop optimally. Enrich the potting soil with slow-release fertilizer and water the flowers.
In the first week you can store the plants in the apartment in an unheated but bright room. During this period it is sufficient to water the potted plants once a week. During the acclimatization phase, when overwintered and young plants are allowed outside around mid-May, the summer flowers still require little water. From June onwards, when temperatures rise, you can water the geraniums 2 or 3 times a week, depending on your needs. Be guided by the weather and try to avoid waterlogging. The soil should dry slightly before watering again. One month after you have added slow-release fertilizer to the potting soil, you can add liquid fertilizer.
Geraniums in the balcony box: what to plant with them?
Just a few years ago, geraniums were considered old-fashioned and boring. However, they have now established themselves as real classics among balcony flowers and with good reason: thanks to the large variety of varieties, colors and flower shapes, numerous design ideas can be implemented in different garden styles.
Standing geraniums in the balcony box: what to plant?
You can always re-stage standing geraniums in the balcony box. We offer you some suggestions for combination partners that, together with the summer flowers, create a harmonious ensemble:
1. White geraniums in the balcony box of the “Allure White” variety, together with spider plants, large evergreens and snowflake flowers of the “Abunda Giant White” variety, form a purist ensemble in green and white. Perfect for the minimalist balcony.
2. The next flower box is spring-like and fresh in bright pink and purple. You can stage geraniums of the “Moonlight Pink” variety together with purple magic bells. Ornamental asparagus and pineapple sage mediate between the strong nuances of the flowers.
3. The combination of geraniums of the “Indian Dunes” variety, coleus and morning glory proves to be a beautiful ensemble for late summer. The color palette of red, yellow and brown heralds the coming autumn and offers the perfect transition between the seasons.
4. Full of contrasts, striking and creative: This is how the plant mix of geraniums of the “Pinto Pink” variety and Penta’s “Graffiti Pink” variety can be described. Burnt bush of the “Smart Look Red” variety sets accents in the flower box and ornamental asparagus, ivy and verbena fill empty spaces in the flower box and give the arrangement structure.
5. Plant balcony boxes with geraniums and petunias: Geraniums and petunias form a particularly charming duo. The two summer flowers are easy to care for and get along very well. The experienced hobby gardeners like to experiment not only with colors, but also with varieties. There are hybrids with very beautiful, full flowers that can be used to make the flower box particularly attractive and varied.
6. Pink geraniums and verbena go well together. Paired with dragon trees, ivy or large evergreens, they create an exotic-looking ensemble.
Hanging geraniums in balcony boxes are a real eye-catcher
In addition to standing geraniums, hanging geraniums can also be effectively displayed in the balcony box. There are two variants to choose from: The geraniums are either displayed as soloists or paired with ground cover plants and low perennials. Lavender and hanging geraniums are an absolute highlight on the balcony. The combination with triangular spurge and caddis brings an exotic flair to the balcony garden.
Overwinter geraniums in the flower box
At the end of summer you should prepare the flower box for the coming autumn. Geraniums are very sensitive to frost and cannot stay outside at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius without overwintering. From the beginning of September you can water the flowers more sparingly and less often. From the end of August you no longer need to supply the geraniums with liquid fertilizer. From mid-September, before the first frost, you can bring the geraniums into their winter quarters. A non-heated room where the temperature does not drop below 10 degrees Celsius is ideal for this. Optionally, you can buy a greenhouse for the balcony and overwinter the geraniums there. In spring you should then transplant the perennial flowers into new geranium soil.
If the flower box is planted not only with geraniums but also with other flowers and plants, you should remove each flower from the box and store it separately. Carefully remove the potting soil from the geranium's roots and cut back the shoots. Then you can wrap the plant in wrapping paper and store it in a warm place. Regardless of whether you overwinter the geraniums in the flower box or cut them back: check them for pests every two weeks and spray the plant with lukewarm water. Since geraniums are propagated by cuttings, you can save the cut parts of the plant for propagation.
Geraniums are real all-rounders: the large variety of varieties and colors allows different designs of flower boxes on the balcony. Their floral splendor transforms the balcony into a rustic, exotic or modern oasis in the middle of the city. The absolute classic among summer-blooming flowers is extremely easy to care for. Important prerequisites for the rapid growth of geraniums are the right location, nutrient-rich soil and regular watering. The right planting time for geraniums begins at the end of April. Hobby gardeners traditionally plant the balcony box with geraniums at the beginning of May. This means that the flowers, which originally come from South Africa, have enough time to get used to the weather conditions. Geraniums bloom all summer long and are not overwintered until fall. The perennial plants can be cut back or stored in flower boxes in a warm and wind-protected place.
