About
This tender sub-shrub, with semi-succulent, spiny stems, and lobed mid-green leaves with hairy undersides. Plants are often summer dormant, producing clusters of small white flowers with dark reddish-purple blotches on the petals, in autumn and sometimes again spring.
About the genus
Pelargonium can be perennials, sub-shrubs or shrubs, sometimes succulent and mostly evergreen, with palmately lobed or pinnately divided leaves and clusters of slightly irregular, 5-petalled flowers
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeLoam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureWell-drained
AspectSouth-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH2
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs, Herbaceous Perennial
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants
Care notes
CultivationGrow in well-drained, sandy loam in a sunny spot. Plants are drought tolerant once established, keep almost dry during the dormant period. May tolerate temperatures down to -3°C for short periods, but will need protection from heavy frosts
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed sown in spring, or by softwood cuttings in early autumn. Allow cuttings to dry for 2-3 days before inserting into medium
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to vine weevil, glasshouse leafhopper, root mealybugs, aphids, caterpillars, thrips, fungus gnats and glasshouse whitefly
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds, black leg, pelargonium rust and pelargonium viruses