The Second Blooming

There's nothing more classy, or reminiscent of a hot summer terrace, than a red geranium in a terracotta plant pot. I seem to remember reading somewhere, in one of the many books about her and her sisters, that Nancy Mitford's French home had a small terrace that was filled with such a horticultural delight. If it was good enough for Nancy it's good enough for me. 

I might not have got the climate, but I've got the red geraniums in terracotta pots. I've collected pots from here there and everywhere and last year I got a good haul from Chesterfield flea market.  Being so easy to propagate,  I'm never short of the geraniums either, but I always bring the better plants inside to overwinter alongside the cutting nursery. In order to propagate geraniums, simply snip off a decent looking leaf with a sharp implement and pop it into a glass of water or a plant pot filled with well draining compost. It will soon grow roots. 

Those plants that are brought inside in autumn will not only be ready to bloom again next summer, they will get their second wind for this year. If there's one thing about November that can make me smile, it's the row of geraniums on the windowsill, blooming again as if it were July. As if it were a bright yellow corner of a continental terrace instead....these are my love in a cold climate. 

Click here for my novella Temporary Accommodation

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