Scented Geranium ‘Attar of Roses’

Description

Grown for their uniquely scented and often ornamental leaves, Scented Geraniums are fast growing and highly tolerant of variable soils and conditions. They vary in heights and widths. Some are more tolerant of cold and some are more tolerant of shade.

Scenteds (as they are often referred to) like it warm, sunny and dry. Plant in a pot that can hold about three gallons of soil or plant in the ground.

Container-grown Scented Geraniums will need continual fertilization with an all-purpose organic fertilizer throughout the growing season. Full sun, but most do well in partial shade -not get enough light will be leggy and will develop fewer essential oils.

Water in the pot before trying to remove them. Plant them at the same depth they are in the pot; not planting deeper or higher. Keep watered until established.

Once established, they don’t take a lot of water, leaves should never be allowed to wilt. In humid areas, drip irrigation is advised to keep moisture off the leaves.

The only reasons to prune a Scented Geranium is if it outgrows its space, has dead stems or needs to be shaped. They are perfectly happy left alone. If you do prune, be sure to use the leaves for crafting or cooking.

Leaves add interest to fresh flower arrangements.

CULINARY USE: Scented Geraniums have been used in cooking for centuries. Normally, we don’t really eat the leaves but use them as flavouring and scenting agents. Attar of Rose Geranium leaves packed into apple jelly or laid at the bottom of a cake pan before the batter is poured add a bit of Je ne sais quoi, that little bit of some indefinable extra. Lemon cripsum leaves were often layered with sugar and left to scent the sugar. The delicate flowers can be added to salad or stir fry. They can also be candied and used to decorate desserts. All of our Scented Geraniums are safe to use in cooking as long as they are grown organically.

FUN FACTS:

That they cool themselves by releasing oil from glands on the backs of their leaves. They aren’t Geraniums but Pelargoniums. Just by laying some washed and dried leaves on an inch of sugar, covering with an inch of sugar, and leaving for a week, you can have scented sugar to use in teas and baked goods. That dried leaves can be added to potpourri and sachets and, if left whole, will keep their fragrance for a long time.
Oil distilled from Rose Geraniums is often used in the perfume industry in place of the expensive Attar of Rose oil.