Rose Geranium to Lift Your Spirits
As we head towards the Winter Solstice, here in the Southern Hemisphere, we notice that the days are getting shorter, and the nights are longer and colder. Down here in the Bay the climate is lovely after the cataclysmic summer happenings - warm sunny days, beautiful blue skies, and frosty starry nights with amazing moons.
As we lose daylight hours, and spend more time indoors, we can start to feel the onset of the winter blues, and it is important to remember that we need to keep up our spirits. Rose geranium is the plant in the plant world to do just that!
According to Wikipedia, rose geranium is an upstanding, multi branched shrub which can grow up to around 1.5m, and has a spread of around 1m (wikipedia.org).
The rose geranium has small, pretty pink flowers. The leaves are strongly rose scented, although the strength of scent can vary from plant to plant. The leaves are used for their scent, in essential oils, and can also be used for culinary purposes.
Rose geranium is one of my favourite plants to have in the garden. It grows really quickly and easily, and it spreads a lot, so it is another great starter plant for a new garden, or a beginner gardener. If you are wanting to create scented hedges, or fill bare patches in your garden with something floral-smelling, rose geranium is a lovely addition.
You can buy rose geranium plants from garden centers. They take amazingly quickly and easily from cuttings, so if you know of someone who has one in their garden, it is a good idea to befriend them and ask if you can take a couple of cuttings! I have given cuttings to everyone I know, and they have grown so successfully, that the people are now giving out cuttings of their own! Make sure you wait until the plant has finished flowering before you take any cuttings.
In spiritual and medicinal terms, rose geranium is said to have healing and uplifting properties. An herbal tea made from the leaves can help to relieve stress, clear the kidneys, and help calm indigestion. The essential oil of rose geranium is associated with healing properties for menstrual pain, tonsillitis, and nausea. In addition rose geranium plants provide a balancing and uplifting vibration, so it is a good idea to keep them around the house. (www.sentientphysics.com).
In the kitchen, rose geranium leaves can be used to flavour all kinds of bases, such as milk, cream, jelly, sugar, or add to the liquid when stewing fruit. You can take off a few leaves, chop them finely and infuse into your water or syrup or milk base. Once you have finished infusing, strain and throw the leaves away. Rose geranium leaves can be quite strong, so you will only need a few - 3-4.
There are tons of recipes for rose geranium - it is not necessarily something that people would think of using to cook with, but once you try it, you will love it!
Remember to sign up for our weekly recipe, using the plants featured in our blog posts. This week’s delicious recipe is for an easy-peasy Rose Geranium and Honey syrup, to help chase away those winter blues.
Happy Gardening 🌻