AboutC.L. Fornari Expertise Annuals suggested for specific situations (sun, shade, windowboxes etc) New or unusual annuals are a particular interest of mine, and I grow many of these from seed. I am happy to help problem solve, answer questions about maintenance, and guide you to sources of unusual plants.
Experience I am a garden writer/speaker/consultant and host of a weekly gardening radio program in the Northeast. I have been gardening all my life for my own pleasure, and started as a professional gardener and garden communicator 15 years ago. I work part-time at a garden center, selling and tending shrubs/trees/annuals/perennials...and doing some propagation and design work. I often think that all these professional activities serve to put a somewhat legitimate framework around a serious case of plant-lust.
Question I have a geranium of the mounding annual variety that I purchased from a home improvement store because of its lovely color combination,red/magenta with purple inside; but since I planted it in the ground (zone 7) it only blooms orange red! Is there anything I can add to the soil to make it change again?(like hydrangeas)
Answer Meredith,
I suspect that the color change has more to do with the change in light than anything in the soil. Geraniums don't change color in relation to the pH such as Hydrangeas. The plant was undoubtedly grown in a greenhouse where it got diffuse light, not real direct sun. Fertilization may play some role - plants coming from a greenhouse are usually pretty "pumped up" on fertilizers. You can try giving it a slightly higher dose of liquid fertilizer, being sure to water well first so you aren't fertilizing a thirsty plant. But my guess is that the direct sun is changing the color.
