• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Scented Geranium Adventure

April 21, 2010 by Jeanne

I love geraniums. They’re beautiful, easy to grow, withstand almost anything from drought to cool temperatures, and hummingbirds love them. And they’re cheap. Lowe’s had regular geraniums on sale for $1 a piece last weekend. What’s not to love about that?

Some people dislike geraniums for the strong scent from their leaves. The scent is caused by geraniosol, a chemical exuded by the plant, and I think you either love it or hate it. My husband hates the smell. I love it because it reminds me of the window boxes on our dining room windows when I was a kid in Floral Park. It’s strong, all right, and if you get the smell on your hands be prepared to keep smelling it for a while no matter how much you wash.

Scented geraniums are another story altogether. Their leaves smell like lemon, orange, apples, you name it and someone has hybridized it. I had my White Flower Farm gift certificate from my sister to spend. I bought my Bloomerang Lilac but had a few bucks left over, so I browsed the site to see what I could buy. Ah! Scented geraniums! I’d always wanted one. My choices were limited to two, so I added an apple scented one to the order.

Well it came. And into the flower garden it went. But I’m not going to be sniffing it any time soon. To my nose, the leaves smell like a horrid cross between Raid bug killer and Vicks Vapo Rub. Shudder. This scent is not conjuring up images of barrels of red cheeked apples, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s my nose. The flowers are small, pink and dainty and the leaves quite interesting too. But my husband keeps pointing to it and asking, “Is that a weed?” And I keep having to explain, “No, that’s my scented geranium…” which necessitates a touch of the leaves and the accompanying exclamation of disgust. It’s like I have a really unique conversation piece, only it’s not the conversation you want to have in the garden….

What do you think of scented geraniums?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « For Want of a Watering Can
Next Post: Scenes from the Garden »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme