Pelargonium x hortum cv 'Vancouver Centennial'
Alright, I'd be lying if I said I was really crazy about Pelargoniums. I see their use as annuals in containers and the like but they're normally not something I would take the time to try to overwinter. For those of you who weren't aware, most annual plants labeled "Geranium" are actually Pelargoniums. Geraniums are a different genus of plants entirely. Common names sure do make a nightmare of things.
Honestly, I'm not too crazy about either plants. We have a bunch of true Geraniums in the park and they're pretty happy and bloom like crazy, but for whatever reason, I'm just not that impressed. I do like the smell of the leaves, but it won't be something I'll be planting at home any time soon. As far as Pelargoniums go, when I first got into plants I knew a bunch of people who were very hyped over "scented geraniums." Sure they smell nice, but I think they're just too much of an old lady plant for me. I guess I'm still not seeing what all the fuss is about, there are plenty of other plants that smell nice and are just way more interesting.
Our spring display ended up with more Pelargoniums then we had originally intended. A bunch of pink flowering ones were donated after they were used as center pieces at one of our fundraisers so my fellow gardener massed them in the annual beds around the playground. We often have serious issues with our four annual beds there. It seems those beds get shadier and shadier every day and between squirrels digging up everything we plant, kids pulling on stuff and people just being slobs, those beds are usually in bad shape. Much to our surprise, the Pelargoniums did great. They bloomed all summer, didn't get disease and survived being dug up just about every other day.
I guess I have to give these another chance but for now there are two varieties that I can say I like. Pelargonium x hortorum 'Tricolor' just has awesome variegation and Pelargonium x hortum cv 'Vancouver Centennial' which remind me of maple leaves. Vancouver Centennial ended up in our display urns this season so now that summer is over, its sitting in my bathroom waiting to get potted a placed in a window. Right now the leaves are pretty faded but hopefully the rusty color will come back once fall hits.
Oxalis vulcanicola 'Copper Glow'
As a kid I always knew oxalis as a weed. I still hear its very weedy in many people's yards, containers and the whole nine yards. I've seen plenty of them sold in March as shamrocks. They're not real shamrocks of course... but I can see why people would relate the two. I've had my eye on Oxalis adenophylla for some time now. I might actually order it for spring next year, if I don't go overboard on species tulips again. It's cheap enough, I just don't imagine it'll perennialize in my father's yard.
Either way, we put 'Copper Glow' in our display urns. It did well. The plants were nice and full, but they really don't have the copper color that they're known for. I'm wondering if this is another plant that has summer fade out. I'll keep you posted.
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