I’ve Caged the Ivy Leaf Pelargonium!

It is what I’d always called ivy geranium, until I learned it was a pelargonium.

But it’s hard to break the habit when you have referred to them as geraniums all your life. It is described as a succulent type of plant because it holds water in its stems and leaves. And it is a continuously blooming plant for Ohio spring, summer and fall, so I chose to plant my cage with it.

I found the cage at a garage sale and thought I would like to have it for my caged planter, as seems to be all the rage on the internet these days.

This is a geranium. The real kind. It is Geranium “Johnsons Blue” and they bloom so prettily in the spring, and sometimes a little through summer.

But this is a pelargonium which is a scrambling succulent plant with small, fleshy lobed leaves. The flower buds are hairy. These are the strangely scented ones and I know you would recognize that scent. I chose these to plant in my bird cage. Because it is succulent, and I had to use them because I wasn’t using hypertufa!

 Since these bloom all year in sun, I wanted to have something that would be pretty and colorful. I lined the cage with the Spanish moss and made a depression in the center and filled that with soil. I hope the roots are growing quickly so that it will hold it all together.

I chose to hang the cage planter by a small arbor which is almost covered by a Sweet Autumn Clematis. It is such a fast grower, it has reached out and is entwining with the cage already. It won’t be until August when this blooms, and it is usually engulfed in white flowers and hundreds of bees. And the scent is wonderful.

I probably won’t bring these geraniums in for the winter. I will just leave them hanging until I replant in spring. I will have to get out there early since we always have nesting doves in the clematis arbor.

So have you planted a cage yet? Let me know in the comments. And share with your friends. Thanks for reading.