Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Martha Washington Geranium

Group/Class:  Elegance Series

Description:

A refined series noted for gorgeous tissue paper blooms, presenting a constant display of color all season; early flowering with uniform habit; perfect for borders, rock gardens, patio containers, or window boxes

Ornamental Features

Elegance™ Red Velvet Geranium features bold clusters of lightly-scented hot pink flowers with white eyes and a dark red blotch at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its serrated round palmate leaves remain green in colour throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Elegance™ Red Velvet Geranium is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Elegance™ Red Velvet Geranium is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Elegance™ Red Velvet Geranium will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Elegance™ Red Velvet Geranium is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.