Gardening with children. A blooming family home with geraniums

In an increasingly digital world, gardening with children offers a refreshing break and an opportunity to experience nature up close. Working with plants together not only develops a sense of responsibility, but also creates unforgettable family moments. Geraniums are perfect for these interactive family projects. The experts at Pelargonium for Europe (PfE) explain why and show how they can make a family home bloom.

Ideal for practice: geraniums are hardy and easy to care for

Geraniums are ideal plants for little hands just starting out in gardening, as they are very easy to care for. It all starts with planting: a suitable container with drainage holes, expanded clay and potting compost – that’s all you need. In a sunny spot, geraniums will flower continuously from spring to autumn, and more profusely than most other summer flowers. All they need is sun, water and fertiliser. What’s more, these hardy plants will grow and bloom even if you don’t do everything right when caring for them. And because they are so easy to look after, there is plenty of time to enjoy the garden together, play and watch the plants grow.

Cheerful atmosphere: geraniums come in many bright colours

Children love colour. Bright hues stimulate the imagination and create a cheerful atmosphere. Geraniums bring vibrant tones to balconies, patios and gardens and create a feel-good atmosphere in the home. They come in a wide range of colours, from white to pink, cerise and purple to salmon and orange. There are also various shades of red and a myriad of bi-coloured varieties with beautiful gradients, stripes or speckles.

Geraniums grow fast and flower profusely

Geraniums are grateful plants. In good conditions they grow quickly and produce lots of flowers. This gives children a speedy sense of achievement and keeps them going. For an in-depth experience, parents should buy small, immature plants without flowers at the beginning of the season.

This allows children to experience the growing process right from the start. Tip: Geraniums are sensitive to cold. Keep them in a bright spot in the house until the danger of night frosts has passed.

Geraniums and treats – the perfect combination

Children love geraniums for their beautiful, colourful flowers. But it’s even more fun when they have something to nibble on while they’re gardening. You can combine geraniums with other sun-loving plants such as strawberries, tomatoes or herbs. This is a treat for the palate and good for insects. Despite reports to the contrary, single and semi-double flowering geraniums do contain pollen and sometimes nectar. However, given the choice, bees and bumblebees prefer other flowering plants such as sage, thyme, mint or tomatoes.

Create new recipes with scented geraniums

Unlike other geraniums, scented varieties often have rather inconspicuous flowers. Their leaves, however, exude delicious scents. They come in a wide range of aromas, from lilac and rose to orange, peach, lemon, cola, ginger, coconut and chocolate. Organic scented geraniums are edible and encourage parents and children to experiment. How about a rose-scented cake, a peach-scented salad or a homemade lemon-scented lemonade? There are no limits to your creativity when it comes to dreaming up new recipes.

Tip: How about a scented geranium garden on your windowsill with your favourite flavours?

To keep children interested in gardening, here are a few simple tips to keep the fun factor high.
For younger children, a mini garden project such as a window box or a single pot is ideal to keep the project manageable and give a quick sense of achievement.
A trip to the garden centre to choose plants and materials together gives children a sense of ownership of the project from the start.
Shared, fixed times for caring for the garden are fun and also encourage a sense of responsibility. Older children can also look after the plants on their own. However, it is extra motivating for them if their parents regularly admire their progress.
A garden diary in which children record flowering times and observations about the weather, insects, etc – either alone or with their parents – is a nice reminder and a creative project that can teach them a lot.

Craft idea: upcycled geranium vases

Geraniums can also be used for creative craft ideas. For example, colourful upcycled vases that are easy to make with children. These cheerful vessels will put everyone in a good mood and show off the different blooms of cut geraniums. You will need: Old glass or plastic containers, white air-drying modelling clay, a rolling pin, a knife, paints, brushes and (optional) clear varnish.

Here’s how it’s done: Roll the clay out thinly with the rolling pin and use the knife to cut out a strip the same size as your container’s circumference. Cover the container with the clay and gently press the ends together to close the ‘seam’. Wait for the clay to harden completely. This may take up to two days. Finally, paint the vases as you like. Clear varnish makes the surface look smoother and shinier.

Tip: Paper stencils will help you decide how big the strips of clay should be for the different vessels. To make a paper template, place a sheet of paper around the vessel so the edges overlap slightly and mark the cutting line with a pencil. Remove the paper and cut the template to size.