There is no escaping the divisive scent of Pelargonium graveolens, the rose-scented geranium.
People either fall into the ‘what a beautiful aroma!’ or the ‘wow, they really make perfume from this?’ camps.
Oil extracted from the plant is often used as an alternative to the more expensive attar of roses scent.
And rose-scented geraniums also happen to make excellent houseplants.
The name geranium and pelargonium sparks much confusion amongst amateur plant lovers and seasoned plant lovers alike for the past 230 years.
Pelargoniums are plant ‘cousins’ of Geraniums, before which they were deemed to be plant ‘siblings’ so they shared the same name.
They have been confusing gardeners and houseplant parents ever since.
How to care for a rose-scented geranium
The rose scented geranium is easy going when it comes to the love you need to give it.
Endemic from Zimbabwe to South Africa, it has evolved to tolerate periods of drought or forgetful watering, but prefers its soil to be kept moist if it is to thrive.
In our cooler winters, it is better to allow the plant to almost dry out entirely between watering as this reduces the chance of the plant rotting, but also discourages those pesky fungus gnats that live in the soil of moisture loving houseplants.
In summer you can ramp up the watering, keeping the compost moist, and feeding regularly for the happiest plant. We dilute our organic worm tea, but any organic liquid feed will work.
Pelargoniums are particularly fast growing plants, especially in a bright position.
To keep them at their best they require repotting at least once a year, either into the same pot with the compost shaken from the roots and replaced, or into a larger pot if a bushier plant is your ambition.
Because of the speed it grows, the rose scented geraniums quickly form majestic plants, and their gnarly stems begin to thicken and grow over the sides of the pot, shaking off their fresh from the plant-shop look.
If this isn’t for you, in late autumn, you can cut your pelargonium back by up to two thirds, to encourage more compact growth again in the spring.
The fast growth also means the plant frequently produces an excess of leaves, the oldest of which quite naturally turn yellow, before drying up and falling off the plant, you can ease this process by gently breaking off the leaves as they yellow.
How to propagate rose-scented geraniums
As Pelargonium graveolens can get a little straggly, they are sometimes best rejuvenated by making new plants from stem cuttings.
They are some of the easiest plants to propagate and a great starting place if you are nervous about propagation. These can be taken from a section of the stem that still has some leaves attached, but may work best with the youngest growth at the end of each stem.
Cut an 8-12 cm piece of stem from the plant, with roughly 3 - 5 leaves still attached. Carefully cut or break off the lower leaves, leaving 2 or 3 leaves attached to the cutting.
These cuttings can be rooted easily in water, or directly into a pot of peat-free compost.
If rooting in water - they will need to be planted into compost once the roots are 4 or 5cm long. Taking cuttings like this is best done in spring or autumn, for the best results. You can always hold on to the parent plant and try again if your first attempt is unsuccessful.
