All types and varieties of geraniums from popular to very rare: names with photos and their main features

A few decades ago, geranium could be found on almost every windowsill, but over time it lost its popularity. And now, the time has come when this flower again began to be in demand and regained its former success.

Geranium is a bright and fragrant herbaceous flower that belongs to the group of geraniums. This plant is divided into two types - garden geranium (geranium) and indoor, which is more correctly called pelargonium (pelargonium). Today, there are more than 400 varieties of this plant. Geranium flowers are very bright and beautiful, and in some varieties they are collected in inflorescences. Geranium leaves have a bright dark green color and emit a refreshing lemon-mint aroma. Sometimes a border of white or other flowers looms on the leaves.

Geranium was brought from Africa to Europe in the 17th century. Due to its peculiar, refreshing smell and bright large flowers, geranium has gained great popularity, both in aristocratic circles and in other segments of the population. Geranium came to Russia around the 18th century and immediately became beloved and popular by everyone because of its beauty, unpretentiousness and active growth.

Plant features

Geranium can grow in height from 15 to 120 cm. Its leaves have a rounded lowered shape and is characterized by a large variety of colors. In some species, the leaves may be serrated at the edges or deeply dissected. Geranium flowers have five petals. They can be collected in inflorescences or grow solitary. Geranium begins to bloom in May or June. and blooms for 20-30 days. The fruit is long and double-leafed.

Geranium is very durable and can grow in one place for about 15 years. They are unpretentious, frost-resistant and active in growth. Almost all types of geraniums, except for marsh, are extremely drought-resistant and do not tolerate strong moisture.

All types and their photos

Let's find out what types of varietal geraniums are and see how they look in the photo next to the name of the variety.

Garden

Basically, we are used to seeing geraniums on the windowsills of the apartment and few people know what it is the plant coexists perfectly in the gardens. Bushes of garden (street) geraniums are very dense and can both grow in height and spread on the ground. This plant is perfect for decorating a flower bed or forming an alpine hill.

Types of garden geraniums:

Balkan

Its name comes from the place of its origin, since in nature it grows mainly in the Balkans, Carpathians and the Alps. Her a distinctive feature is a large rhizomewhich reaches 1.5 cm in diameter. The leaves of geraniums extend 20 cm from it. The Balkan geranium can reach a height of up to half a meter. Balkan geranium begins to bloom in the month of June and the flowering period lasts up to 30 days.

Geranium flowers have a variety of shades ranging from pale pink to purple-red. The diameter of the flowers is 3 cm. Seeds begin to ripen around late July or early August. Its leaves have a pronounced green tint and emit a characteristic refreshing aroma. The shape of the pour is divided into five distinct parts with serrated edges. In the fall, they acquire an elegant color.

Gorgeous

This is a hybrid variety of geraniums that has bright large inflorescences of various shades of blue. The magnificent geranium flowers have 5 round petals that are located in the same plane and 5 sepals which are collected in a nimbus. It happens that on one branch of the plant are located up to 3 corollas. The magnificent geranium begins to bloom in June and blooms last all summer.

With proper care, the bush of this geranium can reach a height of up to 60 cm. The magnificent geranium retains its density and decorativeness almost until winter. The leaves are soft and velvety, a little down. Each leaf is dissected into 5 parts and has pronounced serrated edges. In autumn, the color of the leaves of the magnificent geranium changes from bright green to different shades of red.

Himalayan

This type of garden geranium has gained great popularity since the end of the 19th century. In nature, it grows in the meadows of the Himalayasdue to which it got its name. Himalayan geranium grows in the form of a bush, the height of which can reach from 30 to 60 cm. The leaves are cut into 5 parts and can reach up to 10 cm in diameter. This variety of geranium has very large flowers. In diameter, they reach up to 5 cm and have bright saturated shades from bluish to dark purple. Himalayan geranium begins to bloom in late May and continues throughout the summer.

Blood red

This type of geranium is a representative of the Caucasus and has straight branched stems and nodular rhizome. Blood red geraniums can reach a height of up to 80 cm. The leaves are saturated green in color and rounded in shape, which in the fall acquire a bright red hue. The flowers have an obovate shape and are located on long pedicels. Blood red geranium color from early June to mid July. This type of geranium, like many others, is durable, and can bloom and bear fruit up to 12 years.

Forest

Forest geranium is a perennial herbaceous plant with a skew-rising rhizome. It can grow to a height of 80 cm. The stems of this species are erect and slightly branched in the upper part. The leaves have a basal planting and can be either tripartite or quintuple.

The shape of the leaves is rounded with distinct teeth along the edges. The flowers are not very large and have a beautiful purple or violet color. Basically, they are located on 2 flowers on a peduncle. Forest geranium begins to bloom from early June until the end of August. At the end of summer, fruits begin to ripen, which in shape resemble a bird's beak.

Meadow

Meadow geranium grows in spacious meadows and fields of Europe and Asia. This type of plant has a short rhizome and strong ground shoots. The lower basal leaves have a seven-sectional shape. Stem leaves are slightly smaller in size and are five-divided. The uppermost leaves often have a tripartite shape. The flowers of meadow geraniums have a large regular umbrella-like shape. The petals are rounded and bright purple-blue.

Samobor

This variety of geranium belongs to the garden species and ideal for decorating shady flower beds. Its height reaches 35 cm. The leaves of a dark green color with brown spots have a carved beautiful shape. The flowers of this plant grow on high peduncles, have a dark purple color and are collected in beautiful openwork inflorescences. Samobor begins to bloom in early June and ends in late July. Geranium Samobor is extremely unpretentious in leaving and is steady against adverse weather conditions.

Room

The most beautiful and popular types of indoor geraniums:

Zonal

This is the most common type of room geranium, which is resistant and abundant flowering. E homeland is hot and sunny Africa. They called her zonal because of the dark stripes at the edges of the leaves. Bushes of zonal geraniums grow vertically and can reach a height of up to 80 cm.

Flowers with a diameter of 2-3 cm have a variety of shades (orange, white, pink, red, etc.) and a wavy shape. In good indoor conditions, color from June to late autumn, and sometimes can bloom from March to winter.

Royal

Royal geranium is one of the most beautiful varieties of geranium. The shape of this type of plant is different from the structure of ordinary geraniums. The royal geranium has a wide bush, and its peduncles are on the same level as the shoots. The flowers are quite large and can reach up to 15 cm in diameter. Outwardly, they look a bit like Pansies. During flowering, the bush of royal geranium is densely dotted with open buds, which creates the appearance of a lush bright flower ball.

Angel

This is a low grade of geranium with thin, non-rigid stems. In growth, they reach up to 30 cm in height. Geranium Angel was obtained by crossing royal geraniums with wild species, due to which its flowers also resemble Pansies. Unlike royal geraniums, the angel has smaller flowers and leaves.

Thyroid

Thyroid geranium, or as it is also called - ivy or ivy - is an ampelous ornamental shrub with long shoots. The homeland of this variety of geranium is South Africa. The leaves of this plant are bright green - sometimes with a light border or spots.

The leaves can be star-shaped, making them look like ivy leaves. Thanks to thin creeping stems that can grow up to 90 cm, thyroid geraniums can be grown as ampelous plants in hanging pots. The flowers of the thyroid geranium can be such colors as white, pink, red and even purple-black. Read about homecare conditions for ivy geraniums, read here, and what features of the cultivation of this flower you will learn in this article.

Fragrant

This variety of geranium is primarily distinguished by its refreshing and diverse aromas. Fragrant geraniums may have the smell of lemon, needles, ginger, lemon balm, pineapple and other plants. It has a branched bush with a well-developed nodular rhizome.

Leaves have a palmate-lobed shape and carved edges. Their surface is covered with the smallest villi, which, when in contact with something, begin to intensively exude aroma. The flowers are very small and collected in umbrellas. This look attracts not only with its unsurpassed aroma, but the plant has a wide range of healing properties. You will find all the details of caring for fragrant geraniums at home here, and read about the use of this type of plant in folk medicine here.

The rarest species

Tulip-shaped

This is a very rare variety of geranium that has been bred in the United States. It got its name because of the unusual shape of the flowers, which resemble a tulip bud. This species differs from the others in the growth rate, shape, color and number of petals on the corolla. Each flower has from 6 to 9 petals, which can have jagged curly edges. As a rule, the inflorescence of a tulip-shaped geranium consists of 20-30 flowers.

Rococo

This is an amazing variety, which was obtained as a result of crossing the ivy and zonal geraniums. This variety was bred in the USA at the end of the 20th century. Rococo geranium has large beautiful inflorescences of pink shades that look like semi-open rosebuds. From the ivy geraniums, this variety retained vertical tall shoots, and from zonal geraniums, the shape and color of the leaves. Rococo begins to bloom in early spring and lasts for 8-9 months.

Salmon

Salmon geranium is one of the varieties of zonal geranium. This variety got its name due to the rich color of the flowers, which is similar to the color of red fish. The maximum height of the plant is 35 cm, and the maximum width of the bushes is 30 cm. Salmon geranium leaves have a saturated green color with a pronounced dark brown border around the edge.

This variety has rather large inflorescences and blooms profusely from early spring to the very frosts. Reaching maximum growth, the bushes look very compact and have expressive dense foliage. Salmon geranium is unpretentious and highly resistant to pests.

Orange

This variety is very rare and belongs to the indoor species, or rather it is a variety of zonal geraniums. Orange geranium got its name because of the bright orange saturated color of the flowers. Its height reaches a maximum of 35 cm. Inflorescences are large orange "caps" of flowers. The leaves of an orange geranium are beautifully rounded in shape with a brown tint around the edge. Although this variety of geraniums is unpretentious, but under good conditions and proper care, it can please its flowering throughout the year.

Care Rules

Geraniums do not have special requirements for planting and care when grown at home or in the garden. But in order for the plant to have a pleasant appearance and constantly delight in flowering, several rules must be observed:

The soil for geraniums must be nutritious and loose. If this is a street plant, then in winter he will need shelter.

Geranium itself is a photophilous plant, but still the best option would be to plant it (or put a pot) in partial shade.

Do not forget about top dressing. The best thing the flower must be fertilized before floweringthen the plant will delight with its flowers much longer.

Breeding methods

Propagation of geranium can occur in three ways - cuttings, seeds and division.

Reproduction by seeds is the most time-consuming process and at the same time not always successful. Before planting the seeds, they must be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After that, they are sown in nutritious loose soil, and then sprinkled with sand and covered with a film. In winter, the first shoots may appear after 3 months, in the summer - a month or a half.

When propagating by cuttings, it is necessary to cut off a stem 5-7 cm in size from a bush with a sharp knife. At the same time, there should be 3 medium leaves on the stem. After that, the stem is left for a while so that the cut is a little dried up. Then they put it in the water and wait for the roots to sprout. Instead of water, you can immediately put it in a moist nutrient soil.

Bush propagation is the easiest way to propagate geraniums.. It is necessary to divide the mother bush into two halves with a sharp knife so that each of them has roots and at least one growth point. After this, the halves are planted in new pots, and the cut place is abundantly sprinkled with grated activated carbon.

Geranium is not only a beautiful, but also a useful plant that can decorate any garden and refresh any room with its beautiful view.