About
Pelargonium 'Don's Richard A. Costain' (Z/C/v/d) is a named Pelargonium in the Geraniaceae that provides an extended summer display. It flowers in the UK from June to October. The cultivar follows the flowering habit typical of Pelargonium and suits summer planting in containers or bedding. Regular removal of spent flower clusters keeps the display going through to October.
About the genus
Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. It includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs. Taxonomist Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species of Pelargonium and Geranium under the latter name.
Wikipedia contributors, "Pelargonium", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Pelargonium
In the garden
Pelargonium 'Don's Richard A. Costain' (Z/C/v/d) is a named cultivar within the Pelargonium genus (family Geraniaceae). The genus includes many garden cultivars used as bedding plants and houseplants; wild Pelargonium species mainly come from warm-temperate and tropical regions, with a strong representation from southern Africa. This cultivar's reliable summer bloom period runs from June to October in the UK. Treat it as a summer-flowering pelargonium: place where it receives good light and use a free-draining compost in pots or beds to avoid waterlogged roots. Pelargonium species are adapted to warm conditions and tolerate heat and drier spells, but they only withstand minor frosts, so protect plants or move containers under cover if severe cold is expected. Pinch back or prune young shoots to encourage a compact habit, and clear dead flower heads as they appear to maintain continuous bloom. Use this cultivar where concentrated summer colour is required — window boxes, patio containers and summer bedding all suit its flowering rhythm. Because flowers appear in clusters on erect stems, removing whole spent umbels rather than just individual petals helps the plant set fresh shoots and extend flowering through to the end of October.
More in the Pelargonium genus
- Pelargonium 'Barbe Bleu' (I/d)
- Pelargonium 'Diana Louise' (Z/d)
- Pelargonium 'Elizabeth Taylor' (Z)
- Pelargonium 'Hazel Gypsy' (R)
- Pelargonium 'Brookside Spitfire' (Dw/d)
- Pelargonium 'Deacon Jubilant' (Z/d)
- Pelargonium 'Friesdorf' (Fr/Dw)geranium 'Friesdorf'
- Pelargonium 'Galway Star' (Sc/v)