If you ’re intimate with strawberry geraniums , then you credibly know them best as lovely houseplants . But do youalsoknow that they can be just as dazzling when grown outdoors ?
In a small-scale indoor pot , Saxifraga stoloniferaproduces lil ’ plantlets that dangle over the sides via pretty red stolons . Cute and classy , yet compact and control .
Out in the garden , however , these contrabandist allow an single strawberry mark geranium to blanket an area with a gorgeous gym mat of foliage and flowers , making it an ornamentally pregnant landscape planting .
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Put one in an outdoor plantation owner , and your placement option increase all the more .
The “ how entropy ” of indoor and outside cultivation are pretty similar , but the latter take tips and tricks that a rigorously indoor grower may not get it on .
In this guide , we ’ll bust down everything you need to know for growing these perennials in the corking outdoors . Propagation , culture , upkeep … all of it and more will be divulge .
Here ’s what we ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Shall we start ?
Strawberry Geraniums 101
Also known as strawberry begonias , strawberry saxifrage , and creep rockfoil , strawberry geraniums are herbaceous evergreen perennial from the Saxifragaceae family , which admit mintage such asjade plant , astilbe , andcoral bell .
So in spite of the name , they are n’t actually related to strawberries , geraniums , orbegonias .
Hardy in USDA Zones 6 to 9,S. stoloniferahails from moderate regions of China , Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan , and is often find turn in rocky cliffs , like many other mintage in theSaxifragagenus .
Capable of growing out of the cracks of rock and roll themselves and fissure them further , strawberry geranium is one tough client .
Forming three- to nine - inch - magniloquent rosettes of hairy , dark greenish rounded leave with reddish undersides and Ag markings , strawberry geraniums propagate via their creeping red stolons , take shape slow rug of verdure .
severally , each flora grows about a foot or two wide .
These strawberry - esque stolons mould unexampled rooted plantlet where each one touches the soil .
If the stolon swing over a container ’s sides , then they do n’t even ask to stir down at all to take form plantlets .
In spring , flowered stems up to 18 inches tall grow from the rosettes , each blooming with five - petaled flowers – three smaller pinkish flower petal up top , and two big , magenta - stipple pink petals underneath .
Variety Selection
The first step in strawberry geranium cultivation is selecting which one you want to grow . Beyond the standard specie , you have a couple of cultivars to choose from .
For a divagation from dismal green leaves , you could go with the yellowish green foliation of ‘ Harvest Moon . ’
Those looking for large , silver - veined leave-taking would do well with ‘ Hsitou Silver . ’
For a variety that ’s delightfully red , I ’d select ‘ Maroon Beauty ’ or ‘ Stephanie . ’
The former has reddish hairs and splotch of red between the leave , while the latter rocks especially cherry stems and stolons .
Interested in multiple different colors ? render ‘ Tricolor , ’ a variety that ’s motley in green , white , and pinkish hues .
You could also take ‘ Variegata , ’ which flaunts prominent whitened to pink folio margins .
‘ Variegata ’
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Strawberry Begonia
If you want to get your work force on the mintage plant , it ’s uncommitted in three - in container from Bubblebloomsvia Amazon .
Propagation and Placement
First things first : you and your garden must be inUSDA Hardiness Zones6 to 9 to successfully grow hemangioma simplex geranium outdoors yr - round .
In cold regions , you ’ll have to grow them as annuals , or perhaps in container or hanging baskets that can be brought indoors before temperature set about to dip below -10 ° F .
A cool affair about hemangioma simplex geraniums is the way they can fill out an adjacent empty area on their own , without a nurseryman ’s aid .
But if you want to speed up their expansion , grow some hemangioma simplex begonias in another zona of your garden , or occupy up some spare out-of-door containers you ’ve got laying around , then you ’ll need to pop propagating .
The easy method is to take plantlet cut – rather in spring , after your expanse ’s final frost day of the month .
To do this , choice plantlets with at least five matured leafage and cut them away from the parent with a sharp-worded and sterile blade , making sure to leave alone an column inch of stolon stem attach .
If the plantlet already have roots , then you may plant them straight away in planting jam cook in moist , productive , well - drain garden soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 .
verify the planting website are in full to part shadowiness and space the plants one to two feet apart . If you ’re trying for a ground screening , never fear – the plants will replete in the space in between !
plantlet trammel for container should go in pots , plantation owner , and/or cling basketball hoop fill with a 50:50 mix of perlite and peat moss or coconut coir .
Make certain there are drainage holes at the bottom of the green goddess , with at least an column inch between the root system and the container ’s sides .
For plantlet with pathetic or non - existing root exploitation , treat those as prow clipping and set them in piddle , keeping the leaves above the water ’s surface , which should upgrade root development .
To pull this off , fill up a tall , slender glass with filtered or distilled water , or even rainwater that you have collected .
If the parting are n’t confirm and kept out of the water by the lip of the glassware , then the vessel is n’t skinny enough . If the stem is n’t all inundate , then you take to add more water .
Plant Propagation Tubes
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localise them in an area with bright , collateral light indoors and change out the pee every three days . After a few weeks , the industrial plant should have develop two - inch roots – at this point , they can be moved into their lasting habitation .
If you have a large specimen that needs repotting in spring or summer , you may also divide your plants to acquire new specimens !
To separate an existing industrial plant , water it 24 hours before removing it from the ground or container , brush away the dirt from the root , and part it at its horizontal rhizome .
Make certain each division has an even , proportionate amount of roots and shoots , and then they ’re ready to go in the dry land or a container . Dig planting holes large enough to meet the root systems , then turn down the division in .
Add a bit of humus like decompose manure or compost as you backfill the planting holes , and deeply water the root zona of your plants immediately after backfilling , which’ll give them a overnice kickoff to their raw lives .
If you ’re transplant nursery starting , dig holes the same sizing as the container the plant life are growing in , and ensure that they are sitting at the same depth as they were in their original heap .
Growing Requirements
So you have some rank and settled strawberry mark geraniums in your garden , whether in the priming coat or in a container . Now what ?
You ’ll need to irrigate them on a regular basis in the absence of pelting , for one .
appropriate the top inch or two of the surrounding dirt to dry before watering deeply . In fall , your watering absolute frequency will naturally go down as the plant ’s transpiration rate decrease – and in wintertime , when temperatures dip below freeze , you wo n’t require to water at all .
Monthly applications of a balanced fertilizer will help keep your plants well - nourished .
Jack ’s Classic Fertilizer
For an in effect ware , try this pee - soluble , 20 - 20 - 20 fertilizer from Jack ’s Classic , available via Amazon .
Maintenance Tips
As with many plants , it pay to prune numb , damaged , or diseased works tissues whenever you happen to notice them .
Your specimens will appear effective and be much good for you if you do this regularly .
Strawberry geranium prime are definitely pretty , but if you ’re going for a solely foliar aesthetic , then you could filch back the flower stanch as they appear .
Potted strawberry begonias will need to be divided or repot as they outgrow their containers .
When repotting , choose a container the next size up , or one that provides at least an inch or two between the roots and the container ’s slope .
Since hemangioma simplex geraniums are prone to spread out , you ’ll require to from time to time go over the perimeter of your planting area to ensure that no plants escape their intended zone .
If they do , then you ’ll need to promptly pull them up and either replant or toss them in the compost .
Even though they wo n’t fail back , dormant specimens grown in USDA Zone 6 and 7 do well with alayer of mulchfor additional winter protection .
For relaxation in move around , go with a lightheaded mulch such as pine straw or exquisitely rip up wood chips .
In climates inhuman than USDA Zone 6 , your strawberry geranium will need to be get inside by the time temperatures dip below -10 ° F and handle for until the next spring .
you’re able to memorise more about growing strawberry begonias indoors in our guidebook .
Pest and Disease Management
The best way to prevent pests and disease way out in a flora is to handle for it properly and keep it healthy .
But when pests likeaphids , mealybugs , wanderer mites , andwhitefliesinfest and fertilise on your plants , they can bear from symptom such as leaf chlorosis , dieback , drying up , and even death .
Plus , secondary subject like honeydew secretion andsooty moldformation can rear their ugly heads .
warm sprays of water can knock pests off of plant surface , while spraying of horticultural crude and insecticidal soaps will really obliterate them .
Any tissues severely overrun with and damage by louse should be lop away .
Monterey Horticultural Oil
Monterey offers ready - to - spray and concentrated horticultural oilvia Arbico Organics .
Insecticidal Soap
you may find Bonide multi - purpose insecticidal soapat Arbico Organics , as well .
There are n’t many renowned disease that afflict strawberry mark geranium , although solution rot can occur when gardener overwater or when they are raise in soil that lacks adequate drainage .
To stop radical decompose from get on , instantly stop overwatering and protect your specimen from excessive rain , if possible .
To prevent the job altogether , always be sure to imbed in well - draining soil or growing medium .
A Real Sweet Ground Cover
AlthoughS. stoloniferaisn’t sweet like anactualstrawberry , its appearanceisquite savory . Would n’t you agree ?
Whether you put them in the ground or in swanky container outside , strawberry geraniums will really liven up your outdoor landscape .
And for more attractive foliation plants to add to your landscape , check out these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product pic via Bonide , Jack ’s Classic , Monterey , and Winter Greenhouse . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Joe Butler
