the.com/geranium
a flower so good at not dying it ruins everyone else's gardening confidence.
means A common flowering plant grown in gardens and pots, prized for its colorful blooms and tough, low-maintenance nature.
from From the Greek 'geranos,' meaning 'crane' — botanists thought the plant's long, pointed seed pod looked like a crane's beak, giving it the nickname 'cranesbill.' (The familiar potted 'geraniums' on windowsills are technically pelargoniums, a related cousin that borrowed its bird from the stork instead: 'pelargos.')
- name confusion
- most garden geraniums are actually pelargoniums
- bug repellent
- scented leaves quietly drive off mosquitoes
- survival mode
- thrives on neglect, sulks under overwatering
- edible petals
- some varieties flavor cakes and salads
- seed launch
- ripe pods spring open and fling seeds
pelargonium zonale — the common red geranium with distinctive horseshoe leaf markings, most widely cultivated ornamental geranium worldwide
pelargonium graveolens — rose-scented geranium from south africa, historically grown in grasse france for perfume production
geranium sanguineum — bloody geranium, wild species native to europe and asia with magenta flowers, popular in cottage gardens