Geraniums Abound in Assisi, Italy

Despite the fact that Assisi, Italy, is a town made almost entirely out of stone, geraniums grow everywhere in this sunny locale, as the inhabitants of this iconic Italian town have taken creative gardening to a new level. Between the bespoke window boxes, backyard gardens, pot-filled alleys and wall-creeping vines, geraniums can be seen growing in almost every available nook and cranny across town.

Assisi was the birthplace of St. Francis– as in, “St. Francis of Assisi”– who founded the Franciscan religious order in 1208 (and who would later become a notable reference point in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Located in the Province of Perugia in Italy’s Umbria region, Assisi falls in Italy’s plant hardiness Zone 9a (a good climate in which to plant geraniums, citrus fruit, figs, olives, and of course: grapes for making wine).

To take a clipping from a geranium simply cut a branch off of the main stem, as close to the joint as possible (shown above). Then, take the clipping and plant it an inch deep in very wet soil. If you don’t have a pot to transport the geranium to right away, you can keep it in fresh water, changing the water daily like you would for a bouquet. Once the clipping has been repotted, keep the soil wet for the first few weeks (so that the clipping sprouts) and make sure your geranium gets some sun each day. Before long, you’ll be able to take a clipping from your very own plant!

Geraniums are hardy and don’t require a lot of attention or upkeep besides the occasional pruning. They can survive overwatering, they do well on windowsills, and they don’t mind too much cold– so no matter what Lil’ Sprouts do, their geranium will probably keep on growing.

Geranium leaves can often be as interesting as the flowers, as the attached greenery is generally lobed and often deeply dissected, ranging in color from grey-green to bronze, purple, and yellow.

They are a hardy plant not picking about their growing conditions (most varieities can grow in full sun or full shade, and they can tolerate moist soil).

While they are far from exotic, geraniums make great ground cover and come in many varieties, including: Blue Sunrise (as blue and lovely as it sounds), Elizabeth Ann (G. maculatum, which has gorgeous lavender-pink flowers), scented lemon and peppermint varieties, and special breeds like black mourning widow (G. phaeum), which is an excellent name for such a baroque-looking plant. (Here at GC, we love rose geraniums.)

Potted plants in general make for a beautiful Italian streetscape, but for a few bucks and a little initiative the geranium is what makes it persist in memory. In Northern Italy’s mediterranean climate, Assisi and geraniums are a match made in heaven. The plant not only thrives, but seems to define the landscape in this unassuming stone and mortal village– a lovely symbiosis that has redefined the plant as a secret tourist attraction.