Pelargonium cv. : aka Scented Geraniums

a photo by JEJ of our large scented geranium that we keep wintering over

I really like scented geraniums. I discovered them years ago while visiting a little nursery with my mom in Dayton, Washington. When you rub the leaves of a scented geranium, the scent of the plant is given off. Through the years I have propagated and repropagated my plants and now they all smell the same... nice, but the same. Recently I found a new catalog that carries a very large variety of scented geraniums. I ordered some online from Mountain Valley Growers and they arrived today.
I am now the proud owner of geraniums that smell like lemons, limes, roses, nutmeg, ginger, and peppermint. I am going to plant them in separate pots to keep the scents from intermingling. These plants are usually annuals, but can be kept inside during the winter. They have small blossoms which are usually pink. I did order one that will bloom in red. I am eager to introduce these wonderful scents to our garden. They are a perfect filler in a bouquet, especially one that doesn't have strong scents from the flowers.
I did glance through the catalog from this company today and am thinking I may do another order. These are plants that caught my eye that I had never heard of : light pink double columbine, chocolate scented daisy, rosemary that blooms with pink flowers, rose scented bee balm,and an herb called Society Garlic which has grass-like leaves and edible garlic flavored flowers!! I better count the change in my piggy bank!

The plants from Mountain Valley Growers came packed very well in 2 3/4 " pots. With the day as hot as it was, they were hardy travelers!