Routinely known as Geraniums, but actually classified as Pelargoniums, these gloriously coloured perennials are more usually grown as pot plants rather than directly in the ground.

Conjuring up the sights and scents of Mediterranean summers — they dominate window boxes, hanging baskets and other assorted containers from Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt round to Turkey, Greece and Italy and on to Spain — local gardening lore has it that they cannot be grown in Pakistan. But, you will be delighted to know, they can.

True to say that growing these beauties here is not as simple and straightforward as in the aforementioned countries but, it can, and should, be done.

Preferring neutral to slightly alkaline, rather light, well-draining, sandy loam type soil/compost and a position receiving eight to 10 hours of bright, natural light each day, they will still grow and produce their eye-catching blooms in lightly dappled shade.

The first lesson to learn about growing them in our climate is absolutely not to follow Mediterranean or other European growing advice. If you do, unless you happen to live in the relatively cool, mountainous, north of the country, you are bound to fail.

Geraniums can be grown in Pakistan but don’t follow Mediterranean growing advice here

Here in Pakistan, the variety known as Zonal pelargoniums are the easiest to grow; closely followed by the ivy-leafed, trailing variety, and then the scented leaved ones. The trickier Regal Pelargoniums, bearing exotic flowers resembling butterflies crossed with orchids, are the most problematic to grow. This is not to say that you shouldn’t try growing the latter — you should — but it is quite a challenge to retain them for any length of time.

Geraniums germinate readily from seed, which can be found in some garden supply stores. They are also easy to multiply by cuttings taken from established plants, from October through until the end of November.

Cuttings, preferably about four inches in length, should be carefully stripped of their lower leaves, leaving just two or three on the growing tip. If any flower buds are present, these should also be removed — the cutting needs to direct all of its energy into developing roots without being syphoned off by the heavy demands of flowering.

Put up the cuttings in individual clay pots of four- or five-inch diameter, inserting each cutting up to half its length in the soil/compost.

You can dip each cutting in rooting powder first if you so wish but, with geraniums, this really isn’t necessary as they root so easily anyway.

Keep the soil/compost just slightly damp — not wet — and place your pots of cuttings sheltered from the cold winds of late autumn/winter, in a place that gets the full benefit of whatever autumn/winter sunshine there is.

The cuttings should show signs of growth within a short space of two to three weeks and, within a couple of months, should be established enough to be transferred into individual, 10-inch diameter, clay pots or other suitable containers, in which, amazingly quickly, they will delight you by bursting into bloom.

If growing geraniums from seed, sow it, in pots/seed trays of well-drained, sandy loam/compost, as soon as the summer monsoon fades away and on until the end of October.

Seeds sown at this time produce plants that should, if all goes well, flower from late winter until summer. Towards the end of May or by mid-June at the latest, the increasingly high temperatures will bring them to a halt.

This is when your geranium plants should be given a rest until the summer monsoon is well and truly over. This is in complete contrast to geraniums being grown around the Mediterranean and European regions to the north, where this is traditionally done over the winter months.

Over the summer monsoon months, prepare your geraniums for resting by removing any remaining flowers, including buds. Cut off any growth over 12 inches high and dispose of it. If you feel brave enough for the experiment, you can also try striking cuttings, which may or may not manage to make it through the incredibly difficult period of high humidity which summer entails.

Next, put your plants somewhere as dark, cool and dry as possible — in well-ventilated boxes or on trays underneath the bed in your air-conditioned bedroom perhaps, or out of sight behind the sofa in the lounge — and basically forget about them until the monsoons have finished and it’s time to see if the geraniums are willing to wake up again. It is not necessary to water them during their period of summer rest.

When it is time to resuscitate them, repot them into fresh pots with new soil/compost and begin watering again. At this point, they are likely to look straggly and not very nice, but give them until October to leaf out and re-establish themselves. Then, October being perfect, prune them back to about five or six inches in height, using healthy prunings for cuttings, feed them with an organic, liquid fertiliser once a month and the cycle begins all over again.

Geraniums, of all varieties, cannot stand to be over-watered. Too much water rapidly kills them off. Over-watering also causes root and stem rot. Only water by applying water to the soil around the plant without getting its leaves wet, when the soil/compost is dried out. Never allow a geranium to stand in water for any length of time. These plants have an intense, often fatal, dislike of wet/humid growing conditions.

Geraniums, most varieties, are found in a colour range from white, pink and red through to deep maroons and flowers may be single, double or bi-coloured.

Test your gardening skills and give geraniums a grow. I challenge you!

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 9th, 2021