Scented Geranium (Pelargonium)
Grown for Beauty, Fragrance, Essential Oil, Culinary & Medicinal Use
Scented geraniums are heirloom plants still grown today for their fragrance, essential oil, culinary use and foliage. Learn about these fragrant, easy care plants.
Scented geraniums (Pelargonium) such as the rose scented geranium, mint scented geranium, lemon scented geranium, or citronella scented geranium are delightful, easy care, fragrant additions to your flower garden. Grow these either outside in the garden, outdoors as a container plant, or indoors on the window sill as a house plant. But these unique, collectible, fragrant plants are not prized for their flowers --scented geranium blooms are not fragrant and tend to be small rather than showy. Instead, these plants are called scented geraniums because they have fragrant foliage. Many gardeners collect these perfumed beauties. Once you’ve tried a scented geranium or two, I bet you will want a scented geranium collection, too.
The Many Different Fragrances of Scented Geraniums
The fragrance of a scented geranium may remind you of rose or lemon, or the plant may give off a scent of cloves or nutmeg, or your scented geranium might have an odor of pine or peppermint, or perhaps you will have a scented geranium that smells of fruit such as apple or apricot, pineapple or perhaps chocolate or coconut. You may need to gently brush against the plant to release the fragrance, or you may need to bruise a leaf for the full effect.
Scented Geranium Foliage is Ornamental
To make up for the lack of floral display, many scented geraniums are extremely decorative due to their unique leaves. The leaves are typically an identifying characteristic along with the scent. Scented geranium leaves may be light or dark green or gray or mottled or show colorful patterns in red or white or brown or cream variegation, the foliage may have a special shape such as akin to an oak leaf or it might sport a ruffled look, or the leaves may have an interesting texture ranging from fuzzy to sticky to smooth. The overall plant will usually have a distinct shape or habit as well and may be overall upright, or rounded, or trailing.
Geranium Essential Oil and Other Uses
Essential oils from scented geraniums are so fragrant they are used in perfumes and colognes, sometimes substituting for the very expensive attar of rose. Today an herbalist might recommend medicinal use of a scented geranium essential oil; scented geraniums have a long history of being used medicinally. You might also add scented geranium to potpourri or scented soap or add a drop or two of the essential oil to perfume a bath. Scented geraniums also have culinary uses. Use the leaves in the kitchen to flavor cakes (think lemon or rose geranium cake) or to infuse baking sugar, as a garnish, or to flavor jellies, for example.
Bet You Can’t Stop at Just One or Two
Once you grow a scented geranium or two, whether you call it a geranium or a pelargonium, I suspect you will be hooked on the fragrance, beautiful good looks, and easy care!
For tips on scented geranium care, see How to Grow Scented Geraniums. You might also like:
Collecting Scented Geraniums (includes mail order catalog sources)
Design A Fragrant Flower Garden
Growing Flowers in Pots and Planters
MORE FLOWER GARDENS ARTICLES and FLOWER GARDENS BLOGS
Copyright March 4 2007 Barbara Martin All Rights Reserved
