Office Geranium

This hot pink geranium has kept me company for a good 8 years or more. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Office Geranium

As we all set up and maybe even dust off home offices, remember to add something green and growing, the sight of a plant will lift your spirits and make the space comfortable.

It doesn’t have to be anything special. I’ve had this geranium in my office for more than 8 years and can’t imagine the room without it.

Geraniums are originally from South Africa. They do not survive outside over winter in USDA Hardiness zone 5b, where I live so they tend to be tossed at the end of the growing season.

There are several reasons why I love geraniums. They are easy to grow, love sun and bloom almost continuously. They are also not very expensive. You can usually pick up plants on sale by June and almost given away by fall.

We tend to see them in tiny pots or among other plants. When given the space and right growing conditions, they can turn into a substantial focus plant. This pink geranium was a sale plant I picked up a good decade ago. I placed it in my office thinking it could spend winter with me and then go outside. It’s never left my office.

Why?

Take a look at this stunning color.

The geranium colors are so bright and cheery. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

What’s more, this geranium tends to bloom most of the year, taking a short 1-2 month break usually in fall.

I make sure it stays evenly watered sitting in a south facing window.

The last time I measured it, it was close to 4-feet tall.

I do clean out the dead leaves periodically and give it a weak fertilizer. I also periodically give it fresh rain water.

Geranium in a southern facing office window. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I can personally tell you how much this plant has lifted my spirits when I was working on a project deadline. Not just the greenery of the leaves but the bright cheery flowers.

If you want cut flowers, geraniums make nice tiny flower vase companions, perfect for a little space on a home office. I have snuck a few over the years to my kitchen when I had nothing else in bloom.

With these plants, you don’t mind that it isn’t even spring yet!

Charlotte