Do you have or know where I could find Apple Blossom Geraniums ? I had one years ago and it died and have not been able to find them ever again ! They were so BEAUTIFUL !
We had a similar request from a gardener in Montreal last summer. They were looking for Geranium ‘Appleblossom Rosebud’ (Pelargonium x hortorum). The ‘Rosebud’ in the name describes the tight, rosebud-like form of the individual small flowers that make up the overall flower head. ‘Appleblossom’ refers to the lovely pink and white colouring. It’s a beautiful plant but we were unable to find any local sources for plants or seeds although they are available in Europe.
The geraniums generally available in our local garden centres have a much more open flower flower form. I expect the reason ‘Appleblossom Rosebud’ is not commercially grown here is because the form of the plant with the tightly pack flower head does not do well in our humid summer.
Your plant could have been an ‘Appleblossom Rosebud’ Geranium given you had it some time ago. It may also have been from a newer series of geraniums better suited to our climate. I have found references to other geraniums with Appleblossom in their title – indicating a pale pink and white colour combination. The Maverick series of geraniums developed in Texas to withstand very hot summers does have an Appleblossom variety and I found seeds for Maverick Appleblossom in our local seed catalogues.
You can determine which type you had by looking at pictures in an online seed catalogue: Thompson & Morgan in the UK for ‘Appleblossom Rosebud’ and Stokes Seeds in St. Catharines, Ontario for Maverick Appleblossom. You can call or visit your local garden centres to see if they will be carrying any varieties with an ‘Appleblossom’ colour combination.
You may want to grow either variety from seed in which case you can purchase the seeds online. Geraniums are relatively easy to grow from seed but the seedlings are slow growing so you would not get flowers this season.
Another suggestion is to attend the annual show of the Geranium, Pelargonium and Fuchsia Society of Ontario which will be held on May 6, 11:00-2:00 at the Toronto Botanical Garden. You could find an ‘Appleblossom’ variety on display and have a chance to talk to the owner about it’s source.
Good luck!