Rose Geranium: A Short Primer / Love Letter
In which I try to convince you to grow one of my favorite culinary plants.
Rose geranium is a delight. It has a subtle rose flavor that infuses beautifully in jams, custards, and drinks — and it’s also an absolute pleasure to recreationally sniff every single time you pass it in the garden. In cooking, I think of it as a gentler alternative to rosewater, which can easily overpower delicate flavors.
There are several varieties of scented geraniums but the rose is my favorite. I grow regular Rose Geranium, along with another cultivar called Lemon Rose Geranium. Also exquisite.
Rose Geranium is what’s referred to as a “tender perennial.” This means that it produces woody stems and can continue to grow year after year, but won’t survive temperatures much below freezing. Depending on where you live, it might endure the winter and it might not; in Seattle, it’s anyone’s guess.
Rose geranium can be grown in a pot (where it would be easy to cut back and take inside in the winter) but I prefer to plant it among my vegetables to deter pests. Like marigolds, scented geraniums help deter garden pests by masking the scent of tastier vegetables. (They also make your garden beds look more chaotic and bohemian, which is absolutely not my real personality, but is the garden vibe to which I aspire.)
I refuse to purchase new plants year after year, so I employ a twofold strategy for avoiding it. First, I take cuttings near the end of the season and propagate a couple of new plants, which live inside on the windowsill until spring. (A quick Google search of “propagating scented geraniums” will yield detailed instructions.) Second, I cut back and mulch the existing plants and leave them in the garden. If the plants outside survive, wonderful. I have gifts for friends. If not, I have backups. I do the same thing with lemon verbena.
In conclusion, PLEASE head straight to the nursery, or ask for a cutting from a rose geranium-possessing friend. If you already have some growing in your garden right now, I hope that you’re feeling appropriately smug, and ready to dive into this recipe for Raspberry Jam with Rose Geranium.
