Anyone who has ever visited the Alps will remember the
chalets with balconies overspilling with pink and red trailing geraniums. In
fact these "geraniums" should be named pelargoniums after their scientific
name Pelargonium meaning stork's
bill. Geranium (crane's bill) is a genus of closely related herbaceous plants.
In contrast all Pelargonium species are evergreen perennials that grow wild in
Southern Africa. Most species are drought and heat tolerant and tolerate little
to no frost. Some species and especially complex hybrids in several types are
extremely popular garden plants, grown as bedding or for pots and hanging
baskets. Almost all types are easily propagated from cuttings.
Classic German combination (on the left) of trailing
red and pink single ivy-leaved pelargoniums. The other common type is the zonal pelargonium, here in salmon pink
(middle). Against the white wall and the bluish green shutters these pink
blooms stand out (on the right). This window
box has been filled with three selections of trailing pelargonium, one with
double flowers.
The zonal types (left) are decedents from semi woody
shrubs and grow compact and upright with the cluster clear of the neat foliage.
The angel pelargoniums, shown in the middle, are also known as French
pelargoniums and have larger but fewer flowers that are often strikingly
bicoloured. A contemporary twist on the classic ivy-leaved pelargonium (on the
right) trained up a support to form a pyramid of pink on the pavement.
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