Description and growing guide to varieties of geraniums and pelargoniums.

Hardy geraniums are a staple in the garden and are among the best-loved and most widely grown plants. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Hardy Geraniums, by nursery owner Robin Parer, highlights 140 of the best species and cultivars. Featuring information on growth, care, and design, along with suggested companion plants and hundreds of gorgeous color photographs, it covers everything a home gardener needs to introduce these delightful plants into their garden.

Confusion about the genera Geranium and Pelargonium existed even before Linnaeus' binomial system of classification bundled both into the former category in 1753. Despite later evaluations that separated the two, many practitioners of alternative medicine and aromatherapists, among others, remain unaware of the distinction. Laymen and plant sales personnel are often equally in the dark, as the majority of garden center 'geraniums' are Pelargonium species and cultivars. This work aims to dispel myths and peel away layers of incorrect and muddled information which contribute to the unclear image of the genera. Geranium and Pelargonium: The Genus Geranium and Pelargonium features discussion and new information on some of the following areas: * taxonomy and history of usage and nomenclature * cultivation for essential oil production and retail purposes in different countries * phytochemistry of the genera * chemistry of Geranium and Pelargonium oils * theory and practice of distillation of Geranium and Pelargonium oils * pharmacology an therapeutic properties of Geranium and Pelargonium oils and extracts * use of Geranium and Pelargonium products in aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics, food processing and medicine * new research into Geranium and Pelargonium This book will be of interest to graduate students, scientists and professionals in the Geranium and Pelargonium growing and retail industry, the perfumery, food and cosmetics industries, and to those interested in Geranium and Pelargonium for alternative and conventional medical use. * Theory and practice of distillation

They are sometimes called storksbills and originated in South Africa. They may be star-shaped or funnel-shaped, and they range in color from white, pink, and orange-red to fuchsia and deep purple. The geranium and its many species, much loved and also much loathed, have developed since the seventeenth century into one of the most popular garden plants. In this book, Kasia Boddy tells the story of geranium’s seemingly inexorable rise, unearthing the role it has played in everything from plant-hunting and commercial cultivation to alternative medicine, the philanthropic imagination, and changing styles in horticultural fashion. Boddy shows how geraniums became the latest fad for wealthy collectors and enterprising nurserymen after they were first collected by Dutch plant-hunters on the sandy flats near present-day Cape Town. She explains that the flower would not be rare for long—scarlet hybrids were soon found on every cottage windowsill and in every park bedding display, and the backlash against the innocent plant followed quickly on the heels of its ubiquity. Today, geraniums can be found throughout the world, grown as annuals in the regions too cold for them to regenerate. In addition to exploring the history of geraniums, Boddy reveals the plant’s other uses, including how they are cultivated and distilled for their scents of citrus, mint, pine, rose, and various spices to use in perfumes. With their edible leaves, they are also used to flavor desserts, cakes, jellies, and teas, and some people believe that certain species provide an effective treatment for a cough. Featuring over one hundred illustrations, Geranium shows how the plant is portrayed in painting, literature, film, and popular culture, and provides an intriguing example of the global industrialization of plant production.

Provides detailed background on geraniums (pelargoniums), including scented leaf pelargoniums, zonals, dwarfs, stellars, regals, angels, and more. Hundreds of stunning photographs provide a visual reference of the many colors available. Also includes information on propagation and hybridization, pots and potting soils, food and water, and dealing with diseases and insect pests. A wonderful reference for everyone who enjoys beautiful flowers, on windowsills or in the garden.

From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times bestselling author of A Plain Vanilla Murder, comes a tightly crafted novel that juxtaposes the disappearance of a rare, remarkably illustrated 18th-century herbal with the true and all-too-human story of its gifted creator, Elizabeth Blackwell. ​Herbalist China Bayles’ latest adventure takes her to the mountains of North Carolina, where her friend Dorothea Harper serves as the director and curator of the Hemlock House Library, a priceless collection of rare gardening books housed in a haunted mountainside mansion that once belonged to Sunny Carswell, a reclusive heiress. But the most valuable book—A Curious Herbal, created by Elizabeth Blackwell in the 1730s—is missing and Dorothea is under suspicion. China’s search for the thief takes on a new urgency when she discovers Miss Carswell’s bookseller, the victim of an attempted murder. Is his shooting connected with the theft? And there are other urgent questions: What is the Hemlock Guild? Who owns Socrates.com? Did Sunny Carswell really kill herself, or does her ghost have a different story to tell? And what is the real truth behind the many tantalizing mysteries of A Curious Herbal? Hemlock is a compelling mix of mystery and herb lore, past secrets and present sins, and characters who are as real as your friends and neighbors—in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.