Scented Geraniums

Scented geraniums (Pelargonium) originally from South Africa can bring the scent of rose, citrus, fruit, nut, mint, and other fragrances to your home and garden. They are tender perennials grown as annuals in Pennsylvania. Site them where their delightful scents can drift into walkways, porches, and patios. When used in containers with other flowering plants, the leaves add texture as well as fragrance. The edible flowers and leaves, particularly from the rose and citrus varieties, can be used to flavor baked goods, beverages, and vinegars.

Most varieties grow well in full sun and well-drained soil amended with organic matter to retain moisture. Grow them organically if you plan to eat them. Water when dry and keep mulch away from the stem to prevent disease. Fertilize during the growing season according to cultural instructions. When night temperatures drop to 45°F, it's time to bring the plants indoors. Placed in a sunny window or under grow lights in winter, these plants can enliven and refresh the indoors.

If your indoor space is limited, smaller plants can be easily propagated from cuttings in the fall. Select healthy stems with three to five leaf nodes and cut just below a node. Remove any flowers or buds and the bottom two or three leaves. Fill a 2-inch container with moist potting soil, make a hole for the stem and plant the cutting, burying one or two nodes. Firm the soil and water. The cuttings should root in about four weeks.

There are dozens of cultivars and great diversity of leaf shapes, textures, and shades of green. Leaf shapes can be palmate, finely dissected, or rounded, and the surface may be smooth or fuzzy. Some varieties have silvery or variegated foliage accented with white, gold, or cream. Flowers are often small and have five petals—two upper and three lower. They bloom in clusters of white, pink, or lavender with darker markings on the two upper petals.

A geranium's scent may be strong or subtle and perceived differently by one person or another. 'Nutmeg' has a spicy, pungent scent unlike culinary nutmeg. Likewise, the pleasing scent of 'Old Spice' is not reminiscent of the popular men's cologne.

Rose-scented geraniums are among the most popular. 'Dr. Livingston's Skeleton Rose' is named for its narrowly dissected leaves. 'Rober's Lemon Rose' has a tomato leaf shape and a combination of rose and lemon scents. 'Variegated Rose' has a green leaf with a thin white margin, and 'Mint Rose Variegated' has variegated green and white leaves and a mint/rose scent.

The deeply cut foliage of 'Pungent Peppermint' adds interesting texture to mixed plantings. 'Chocolate Peppermint' has green leaves with a dark brown blotch in the center. 'Wooly Peppermint' has a trailing habit, dark green, fuzzy leaves, and sprays of white flowers. Consider it for a spiller in your mixed container.

There are many choice varieties of intensely lemon-scented geraniums. 'Mabel Gray' is tall with sharply pointed leaves, while 'Frensham' has fan-shaped leaves. Pelargonium crispum is lemon-scented, has small, crinkly leaves, an upright habit, and is often trained as a standard.

Other classic scents include apple, coconut, lime, and strawberry. Whether you are just getting started or want to add to a scented geranium collection, local herb societies and specialty herb growers are likely to have some selections for you.

While scented geraniums are delightful in the garden, many varieties become splendid in your kitchen. Fragrance becomes flavor. The flowers can be added fresh to a fruit or mixed green salad, or you can choose to sugar them to decorate cakes and breads.

The leaves are more versatile. They can be used fresh or preserved in many ways for later use. Grind fresh leaves with sugar in a food processor and stir into a fruit salad. When using scented geranium flowers or leaves in cooking, be sure to gently wash leaves and flowers under running water and pat dry just as you would do with fresh herbs you would be using. Also, use quality leaves/flowers that do not show any sign of disease.

Make simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water. Boil to dissolve and reduce somewhat. While hot, add up to an equal amount of leaves. Cool, strain, and store up to two weeks in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer. This syrup can be used in drink recipes and to enhance sorbets and granitas.

Infuse the flavor into sugar by layering clean, dry leaves with sugar in a sealed container. Shake every few days for a few weeks. Remove the leaves and store the sugar in an airtight container. Use to flavor your tea or in baking.