Maverick Geranium

Pelargonium x hortorum 'Maverick'

flower

The zonal geranium is the quintessential summer container flower, the bold red, pink, or salmon geranium that fills window boxes, porch pots, and beds across the country. Despite the common name it is a Pelargonium, not a true hardy geranium. The Maverick series is bred for garden performance and grown from seed, producing compact, well-branched plants topped all summer with large rounded flower heads over softly scalloped, often zone-marked leaves. Sun-loving, heat-tough, and drought tolerant once established, it is a tender perennial grown as an annual in most of the country, blooming from spring until frost with a little deadheading.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Petunia — A trailing container partner that spills over the pot edge below the upright geranium - the classic combination planter
• Sweet Alyssum — A fragrant low filler that softens container edges and draws beneficial hoverflies
• Salvia — Upright spikes that echo the geranium height and add pollinator appeal in a sunny bed

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Gray mold →

  Botrytis rots flowers and leaves in damp, crowded conditions - give airflow, water at the base, let soil dry between waterings, and pick off spent blooms and dead leaves

• Aphids →

  Cluster on buds and tender growth - rinse off with water and encourage ladybugs

• Budworms →

  Geranium budworm caterpillars bore into buds so they never open - pick off affected buds and the small caterpillars by hand

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Zonal geraniums are grown for bedding and container display rather than for cutting. The key task is deadheading: snap off each whole flower stalk at its base once the head fades, which keeps a steady supply of new blooms coming all summer and keeps the plant tidy. To carry a favorite plant over, dig it before frost, pot it up, cut it back by half, and keep it in a bright, cool spot indoors through winter.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

A purely ornamental container and bedding flower grown for its bold, season-long color and heat toughness. Bees and butterflies visit the open flower heads, but its value is its reliable display in pots, boxes, and beds.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Zonal geraniums (Pelargonium) are mildly toxic to dogs, cats, and horses - the geraniol and linalool in all parts can cause vomiting, loss of appetite, and skin dermatitis in pets. They are not toxic to people. Keep pets from chewing the leaves and flowers.