Scented Geranium - Herb of the Week

I should begin by saying I really love scented geraniums and that I reserve the right to make them the Herb of the Week again in the future so I can share in more detail what I know about them and the diversity of scents available. 

That being said, the Herb of the Week this week is –

                                  Pelargoniums – Scented Geraniums

Rose Scented Geranium

Scented Geraniums (Pelargonium) is a nothing like its cousin Flowering Geranium (Geranium sanguineum)  They have tiny almost insignificant flowers and depending on if you trim them or not you may not even see them.  However Pelargoniums have foliage that is wonderfully scented and beautifully textured, which makes up for the lack of floral display.  The leaves are totally edible and can be used in a number of different ways.

flowering Lemon Scented Geranium

The fragrance of a scented geranium may remind you of rose or lemon, or the plant may give off a scent of cloves or nutmeg, or your scented geranium might have an odor of pine or peppermint, or perhaps you will have a scented geranium that smells of fruit such as apple or apricot, pineapple or perhaps chocolate or coconut. And usually all you need to do is gently brush against the plant to release the fragrance, or you may need to bruise a leaf for the full effect.

Lime Scented Geranium

History

Among the plants I bring in every winter (Pelargoniums are a tender perennial) from my  Zone 5 garden are my scented geraniums.  Scented geraniums make popular indoor plants because they don’t mind dry weather and they grow with very little light unlike so many other plants you have indoors.  Originally native to South Africa they were introduced to Europe by Dutch and English sailors.  They were believed to have first arrived in 1632 after discovery on the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.  They immediately became a conversation items which grew in popularity.  They were brought to the Colonies by 1750 and by 1870 there were catalogs listing more than 150 varieties.  The Victorians grew them in green houses and used the leaves to create scented water for fingerbowls -- the height of Victorian fashion!  

To Grow

Pelargoniums are a tender perennial with a high concentration of essential oils in their cell structure.  If you live in a warm climate such as southern California, you can grow these fragrant plants outside in a pot or planted in the garden year round. In the right climate they can grow as high as 10 feet.  In areas where winters are cold you must protect your scented geraniums from frost. Bring them indoors for the winter. With more than 200 popular varieties of Scented Geraniums you can find one to your liking.

To propagate a scented geranium it is best to work from a cutting so that you get the hybrid and scent you enjoyed with the original plant.  Simple cut a stem just above the leaf nodule.  You can start the cutting in warm damp sand or in a glass of water.  Once it develops roots you can replant it.  The soil for scented geraniums should be well drained.  I make a mixture of 2 parts potting soil to one part sand to improve the drainage.  You do not need to worry about soil richness, as you do not want to grow your scented geraniums in excessively rich soil as this can cause the leaves to have less fragrance. The pH should be neutral to slightly acid, about 6.0 is fine.

I repot my geraniums in the spring.  It is part of my ritual getting ready to move the plants back outdoors.  This replacing of the soil usually replenishes the nutrients they need.  If you do not do this, you can fertilize your scented geranium using a 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Scented geraniums do best in bright light and will need ample direct winter sun when grown on a windowsill. In the garden, a few hours of direct sun will be enough. They will also do well in bright dappled light all day. Avoid overheated sunny spots, these plants actually prefer daytime temperatures around 70 degrees.

Scented geraniums generally grow pest-free.  If you see aphids, white-fly or other pests, treat them with insecticidal soap.  I wash the tops and bottoms of the leaves in fall when I bring them inside to avoid any issues indoors.

To Use

Scented Geraniums have been used in cooking since the 1800s.  With the discovery their the scents can mimic certain foods, they became important in the experimental cooking periods of the mid to late 1800s.  The flavors generally on the sweet side make them perfect for cookies, tea biscuits and shortbread.  Just placing a few leaved on the bottom of the pan before pouring in cake batter with gently infuse the scent a flavor.  Mint, Lemon, and rose are the most popular scents, but chocolate and orange have much to recommend them when cooking.  One of my favorite uses for scented geranium leaves is to layer them in sugar which I then use to create cookies or flavor jellies.

Essential oils from scented geraniums are so fragrant they are used in perfumes and colognes, sometimes substituting for the very expensive attar of rose.  You might also add scented geranium to potpourri or scented soap or add a drop or two of the essential oil to perfume a bath. 

Medicinally scented geranium is useful against inflammation.  it is an anti-depressant,  antiseptic, astringent and increase circulation.  The leaves and scents of Rose Geranium are believed to assist with pre-menopause symptoms and menstrual cramping.

Recipes

Triple Happiness Tea (From Kathleen Kips of the Village Herb Shop)

½ cup loose back tea

1 Tbls. Rose buds

1 Tbls. Rosemary

1 Tbls crushed dried Rose Geranium leaves

1 Tbls. Hibiscus

1 Tbls. Seedless rose hips

1 tsp. whole cloves

Use 1 level tsp. per cup of hot water and steep 3 to 4 minutes.  This tea is refreshing and great both as a hot or iced tea.  The medicinal properties of the ingredients are also great benefits!

Rose Geranium Tea Biscuits

1 pkg. dry yeast

¼ cup lukewarm water

¼ cup honey

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbls. warm water

1 cup milk, scalded

5 – 5 ½ cups flours

6 large finely chopped rose geranium leaves

½ cup honey

½ cup melted butter

grated rind of 1 orange

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 Tbls flour

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup lukewarm water to which has been added ¼ cup honey.  Beat eggs with salt and add to yeast mixture.  In another bowl mix 1 Tbls. shortening, 1 Tbls. warm water and scalded milk.  Let cool, then pour into the yeast and egg mixture.  Add 5 to 5 ½ cups of flour, mix well.

Put in a pan and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.  Combine rose geranium leaves, honey, butter, orange rind, and flour in a small bowl.  Divide dough in half, roll out like a jelly roll and spread with rose geranium mixture.  Roll up and slice into one inch pieces.

Arrange on waxed paper in a pan.  Again let rise until double in bulk, then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Makes 38 biscuits.

Calming and Warming Bath Blend

1 cup rosemary
1 cup lavender
1/2 cup thyme
1/2 cup rose geranium leaves

Cover 1/2 cup of the mixture with 1 cup boiling water. Steep 20 minutes. Drain liquid into bath water. Tie herbs into a thin washcloth to use as an herbal scrub. This mixture will make 6 baths.

Once you grow a scented geranium or two, whether you call it a geranium or a pelargonium, I suspect you will be hooked on the fragrance, beautiful good looks, and easy care!

Balancing Body Spray

3 1/2 ounces filtered or distilled water
1 tsp. unscented alcohol
15 drop rose geranium essential oil
15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Place all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well.  Use on skin, especially at pulse points.  Shake before each use.

_________________

My Thanks to these on-line sources that I used in my research:

How to Grow Scented Geraniums

Herb of the Month Newsletter June 2009 - Village Herb Shop

I also posted some other scented geranium recipes in my blog:

Holiday Cookies 

Make a Herb Car Freshner

One of my favorite comments when someone climbs into my car is “Wow, it smells so good in here.”  I have to admit what they smell I do not because the scent of herbs is in my home and car and on my clothing so much that I have learned or been conditioned to ignore it.

But if you would like to get these types of comments, it is really simple to do.  My car smells like herbs because of the scents left behind when I transport my programs, lectures and show supplies, but you can make an herbal bundle to do the same thing without all the hard work of hauling the crates.

Bundle some fresh herbs, like lemon balm, lavender, mints, or scented geranium leaves and hang them in the car or lay them in the back window.  I love the smell of scented geraniums and I often cut small twigs of leaves and tie them together to hang from the rear view mirror or tuck into the side door pocket if my car starts to smell like garden mulch from hauling supplies out to the garden.

Try it, you will love this better than a pine-scented freshner any day!

Old Blog Round-up - Garden Planning

Before I moved my blog here to Blogspot, I had one linked to my website which no one ever saw.  Some of the items I wrote were rather informative.  Since few people got to enjoy them, I thought I would share the links to those garden planning posts in hopes of sharing a bit more than I have time to write at present. Please check out those that might help your garden planning this winter!

In January 2009 I wrote on Planning a Garden and Picking the Plants.  This link with take you to several different posts that detail how to choose the plants you put into your garden.

http://www.backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?smonth=01/2009

I’ve recently spoken about seed catalogs, but a post from February 26, 2009 details how to choose what is right for your garden space.

http://www.backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=02/16/2009

If your Garden Planning includes a theme garden, then here is some information on an Herbal Tea Garden you might like.  The information was so long, I took two days to share it:

http://www.backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=03/23/2009

http://www.backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=03/24/2009

Also on a garden planning theme I wrote about incorporating herbs into a non-herb gardens or a general landscape plan on March 9 & 10, 2009

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=03/09/2009

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=03/10/2009

I love scented geraniums which was obvious when I looked back at my blog were I wrote about them several times.  Here are some informative posts on working them into your garden plan.

http://www.backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=01/30/2008

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=02/28/2008

This post talks about a new Lemon–scented Geranium cultivar from Richters

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?sdate_exact=04/20/2010

Planning a garden that you can enjoy even in the winter is a special interest of mine.  I did a series of blogs detailing plants to use that create texture and visual interest even when your garden is knee deep in snow (like mine is right now!)  These blogs on "Winter Interest" were posted in January and February 2010.  Here are the links to both months (scroll to the bottom of January to begin):

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?smonth=01/2010

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?smonth=02/2010

It took two months of posts to share what I knew about container gardening with herbs and I still don’t think I have shared it all.

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?smonth=04/2008

http://backyardpatch.mysite.com/cgi-bin/blog?smonth=05/2008

I hope that you enjoy these links.  I have just finished making some herb flavored wine and as soon as I get the photos formatted I will share the steps for making it and also some recipes for using them!!

Thank you and Happy Gardening! 

Herbal Holiday Decorating Occasional Series (4 of 5)

This is the fourth in a series of blogs introducing you to ways of using herbs in your holiday.  We started with Scented Dough back in October, moved to a set of holiday recipes and gift ideas, detailed how to use cranberries for cooking and decorating and now I have a selection of scented items you can create at home, both for decorating and as gifts.

Rosemary Walnuts

I had to start with something edible, because tastes are always linked to the holidays.  This recipe is a twist on sugared nuts, giving you a savory recipe instead.

1 pound shelled walnuts

2 Tbls. of olive oil

2 Tbls. butter, melted

3 Tbls. minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tsp. paprika

½ to 1 tsp.  salt or a salt substitute

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix.  Spread on a baking sheet large enough to hold the nuts in a single layer.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice or until the nuts are golden but not browned and the scent of rosemary fills the room.  Remove and cool.  May be eaten when warm or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  Makes 2 cups.

Last night I found The Night the Grinch Stole Christmas on television, my husband, bless him, did not say a word about my watching it and sat silently on the couch as I recited all the lines over top of Boris Karloff and sang all the songs at the top of my lungs.  (The cats weren’t that generous!).  This movie is what I watch when I decorate my tree, it is a personal tradition started when I lived alone in Indianapolis after taking my first professional museum job back in… well never mind.  As soon as that show was on, I started thinking again about dragging out the decorations (I’d like to do it Friday, but Chas has other thoughts on this.  So instead, I decided I would make a few items to decorate with, as I make them I will put the up and it will be so gradual he won’t even notice!

Here is what I chose:

Scented Pine Cones

I will place a dozen or so in my trifle bowl and use it as a centerpiece.  They also look great stacked in a basket on the mantle.  From there you can even toss them into the fire for a crackle and scent.

      2 Tbls. orange peel

      1 1 /2 Tbls. orrris root

      1 Tbls. cinnamon pieces

      1 Tbls. Hibiscus flowers

      1 tsp. broken bay leaves

      10 drops cinnamon oil

      10 drops bergamot oil

      10 to 15 drops any other spice oils of your choice

      10 to 15 pine cones.

Mix together with pine cones in a zip lock bag shaking to cover.  Allow to meld as long as a week before using.

Herbal stars

Some woody herb branches have great scent, like sage, scented geraniums, and rosemary.  Strip the leaves off the stems trim them to length and bundle them together into a star shape with raffia or jute (4 sticks = 8 points).  You can also do this with cinnamon sticks.  I used scented geranium twigs for the pictures, but also made some with the rosemary I used to make the walnuts.

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Hang Ornaments on Ribbon

I fill clear glass ornaments with pine needles, rosemary leaves, cinnamon chips and/or colorful herbs then hang them from ribbon in front of the window.  The window is large and faces the rising sun, so as the sun warms the bulb, it releases the scent.  It is marvelous to wake up to.  I saw once that someone put a wassail blend in ornaments this way. I am thinking about doing that this year, perhaps tonight!

Stove-top Simmers

Because of my husband’s aversion to evergreens, I try not to bring in too many, but I love the smell of pine.  As a substitute for that scent I will craft a spice mixture.  I find it a wonderful way to scent your home.  You can do it too.  Use commercial potpourri, or choose seasonal scents and make a simmer.  With a simmer you just set the herbs in a saucepan toward the back of the stove where the gentle heat will release the oils, or use an electric commercial potpourri pot or those with a candle underneath. 

To craft the simmer, combine herbs to equal about ½ cup dried herbs and add that to 2 cups water.

You can make your own blend with equal parts allspice, star anise, cinnamon sticks, gingerroot, whole cloves, and citrus peel.

You can add a few drops of essential oil to accent the aroma. This is where I get my pine scent from.  I use rosemary or pine oil in the simmer.   Keep an eye on the mixture to make sure all the water doesn’t simmer away or the herbs may burn (add more water as needed).

Orange Decorations

Yesterday I was in the grocery store and saw that the Clementines are in season.  These wonderful oranges are the ones used for making canned “Mandarin” oranges.

Oranges are a great holiday item and historic too.  Because of their scarcity they were always a special treat around the holidays and even used as part of gifts in the Victorian era.

 You can make a scented and colorful decoration using a few Clementines.  Just take Clementines and pierce them with wire adding several in a row to create a tower.  Then hang a bell or a bow at the end and hang it from your door knob.   It makes a unique decoration that welcomes guests with nice scent and unusual flair.

I hope you enjoy these scented additions to your holiday decorating and that you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!

As always you will find all our herbal products at http://www.backyardpatch.com/ !