- 14.05.2024 /
- Flower arrangements /
- Garden decoration /
- Start of the season /
- Table decoration /
- Varieties
A holiday on your own balcony or in a spa doesn’t have to be a compromise getaway. On the contrary! Even after the covid pandemic, there are good reasons to spend the best time of the year at home. It’s climate-friendly, cost-effective and, above all, wonderfully relaxing. You don’t have to worry about the stresses of packing your suitcase, travelling and settling in, and you can enjoy your holiday to the full from day one.
Even more so if your balcony, patio or garden is designed to be a floral oasis of calm. The experts at Pelargonium for Europe (PfE) showcase holiday havens featuring easy-care geraniums and reveal why this plant is an ideal choice for anyone who prefers to spend sunny summer days chilling out rather than gardening.
Mediterranean mood with geraniums
The very sight of geraniums conjures up a holiday mood. This is hardly surprising, as these bedding and balcony flowers are widespread in the sun-kissed regions of southern Europe. Thanks to their South African origins, they can withstand intense midday sun.
Even extreme heat and temporary drought won’t affect geraniums. In combination with other sun and heat-loving plants such as palms or lemon trees, they conjure up a Mediterranean feel that rivals any holiday destination in the south.
To create a real holiday haven in your garden, or on your balcony or terrace, you need more than just flowering geraniums.
Items such as rattan furniture, raffia accessories, colourful cushions and cosy blankets are essential for a relaxed, boho outdoor living area.
Add a private pool to the mix and you have perfect holiday bliss.
DIY furniture and homemade planters
Those who prefer to spend the best time of the year at home often invest a lot of time and love in the design of their personal surroundings. Homemade pieces of furniture and planters are more than just decoration.
They make your outdoor area unique and create an inviting and cosy atmosphere. The best thing about it: you can design everything exactly to your own taste.
The handmade covered bench on the left recalls a traditional seaside bench. It offers protection from the wind and the elements, making it the perfect place for cosy downtime in your own garden. Colourful geraniums in pots and baskets, along with decorative accessories, create a holiday feel.
Cut geraniums, placed in vases on a shelf or in a handmade wall display, provide an extra dose of floral magic. The latter looks sophisticated, yet is really straightforward to make. Simply attach test tubes to circular marble discs with hot glue, fill the tubes with water, place cut geraniums in them and attach the whole thing to the wall using special plate hangers.
Incidentally, cutting or picking flowers is no problem for geraniums. Instead, it encourages the plants to produce new flowers.
Left: In shades of red and with alternative styling, this version of the covered bench has a completely different look. It’s worth getting creative!
Geraniums: big impact, low maintenance
Geraniums are the ideal choice for anyone who prefers to spend sunny summer days relaxing rather than gardening. These plants bloom more abundantly and for longer than almost any other summer flower and are surprisingly undemanding and hardy. Lots of light, regular water and plenty of nutrients are all geraniums need to keep producing new flowers from spring through to autumn.
But what happens to all that beauty if you want to go away for a few days and there’s no one to look after your plants? No problem with geraniums.
As the plants can store plenty of moisture in their stems and thick-walled leaves, they can easily manage without water for a few days. But of course, regular watering encourages new flowers to form.
Automatic irrigation systems and window boxes with reservoirs reduce the amount of watering required and ensure your geraniums are kept in the best possible condition, even when you’re away for long periods. Placing geraniums temporarily in the shade also reduces their water requirements. During longer periods of absence, you can also cut geraniums back. Even if their appearance suffers temporarily, after pruning, the plants often grow back even stronger than before.