Scented geraniums were incredibly popular in Victorian England, but are a bit more obscure now. They are great plants to ‘collect’, and we end up with a slightly different selection every year.
Perennial?
Sadly, no. Grow outdoors in the ground as an annual, or grow in a planter that can be brought indoors to a sunny location during the winter. They’ll do well as house plants if they get lots of light.
Sun vs Shade? Watering? Other advice for growing?
Part to (preferably) full day of sun if outside. Geraniums make good houseplants if you have a sunny window to keep them in; put them where they can get as much natural light as possible during the day, and augment with artificial lighting if it isn’t enough. Alternately, set your planter outside during the day to soak up some sun and bring back inside on cold nights. Geraniums dislike frost, don’t let them get zapped.
Avoid over-watering; let the soil dry out somewhat between waterings, but of course not so dry that the plant wilts or turns dry & crispy! This will stunt growth or lead to poor health/death.
Geraniums can become leggy, so cut them back to maintain a nice shape. Remove dead leaves and flower stalks with scissors, or by hand– angle the dead stem straight downwards, until it snaps off (this works better with some varieties than others– use scissors if they don’t snap cleanly).
Uses?
There are hundreds of different varieties of scented geranium and an astoundingly broad range of flavors. Leaves can be used in teas, for cooking and baking, for aromatherapy and in potpourris. The flowers tend to be smaller and less prolific than your standard, un-scented geraniums, but having a plant around for the scent alone is well worth it– rub the leaves any time for a quick pick-me-up.
In a few sources I’ve read that you can line cake pans with scented geraniums leaves before adding the batter, imparting a very delicate taste to the finished cake. I’ve yet to try it but will let you know when I do!
Descriptions of individual varieties:
Pink Rose-scented: Scent is reminiscent of roses and citrus. Leaves are somewhat fuzzy, and a medium green.
‘Attar of Roses’: Similar rose/citrus scent, but leaves are stiffer, crisper, and a brighter, lighter green.
‘Citriodorum’: Very strong, clean lemon scent. Leaves are extremely stiff and crisp, bright yellow-green. Unfortunately, only a few available!
‘Concolor Lace’: Smaller leaves, which are very finely cut and lacy-looking. Bright, light green. I’ve grown this on my windowsill several years, and it seemed to have a very neat habit.
‘Fragrans’: I’ve seen this described as nutmeg-scented. Very spicy and woodsy smelling. Leaves are smooth and velvety, very small and rounded, and a bright silvery green. Stands out from all the other geraniums in terms of appearance, and is a smaller, more manageable plant.
‘Lady Plymouth’: Very soothing rosy, slightly minty fragrance. Leaves are deeply cut, muted grey-green with wide cream/white edges. Absolutely gorgeous plant!
‘Sweet Mimosa’: Also referred to as ‘Sweet Miriam’. I find this one’s scent hard to categorize. I think it’s pleasantly spicy; I’ve read other descriptions that call it sweet, rosy, balsam. Leaves are really big, nice medium green, slightly fuzzy, and deeply cut. Very pretty plant.
‘Torento’: Ginger-citrus scent. Rounded, dark green leaves. This is the first year we’ve had it, and I’m liking what I see so far!
Flowers:
As I mentioned before, scented geraniums tend to be less showy when they flower. Flowers are smaller than regular geraniums, with more slender and delicate petals. When they do bloom, it’s so exciting! Like a present.
White: ‘Fragrans’
Pink: Pink rose-scented, ‘Attar of Roses’, ‘Sweet Mimosa’
Lavender: ‘Torento’, ‘Lady Plymouth Grey’ (*I haven’t seen either of these flower before, so I’m going on research rather than personal experience)
Red: ‘Concolor Lace’ (very bright! somewhere between cherry red and a hot pink, which stands out beautifully against the bright green lacy foliage.)
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Have a suggestion for a new variety, or recommending one you bought from us in the past? Do leave a comment! I love scented geraniums, and growing them is something of a personal hobby that I’m very interested in sharing with more of our customers. Such an under-appreciated plant. Let me know if there’s a scent or specific variety you’re hunting for, and I’ll track it down for next year!
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To see all 2010 plants, check the Complete List of Varieties.
The Sammis Greenhouse Herb Reference 
What a fabulous blog! What lovely plants, and great photographs!
Really pleased I came to visit today, delightful!
SFXx
i have just begun experimenting with geraniums – i love the leaf but the flower is too much (for me)
Really? How so? Which varieties do you have?
All of ours seem to flower much less than regular geraniums, and the flowers are much smaller and less showy. I guess if you dislike the flowers you could always pinch them off.