 |
  |
 |
| Garden Layout - Plants - Pelargoniums
|
|
| Pelargoniums are often mistakenly referred to as Geraniums; even garden centres perpetuate this misnomer, which only serves to confuse new gardeners and experienced hands alike. I have two types used in the garden - Ivy-leaved pelargoniums, which are wonderful trailers for hanging baskets and window boxes, and Zonal Pelargoniums, the big showy 'Geraniums' often associated with civic planting schemes, and used in pots in my garden. |
|
| This is an Ivy-leaved pelargonium 'Ville de Dresden' that I use extensively. It's a strong, vigourous plant, with thick leaved, dark green foliage, marked with almost black blotches in the manner of the zonal pelargoniums. The flowers appear in masses from June onwards and continue through to the frosts. In an average summer, I would expect this plant to grow to a trailing size of 600mm, with a similar spread, and only one plant is needed in each basket or window box. |  Ville de Dresden |
| Like all Ivy-leaved pelargoniums, it's unbelievably easy to raise from cuttings taken any time from early spring until October. I've had this plant for over 6 years, and all were raised as cuttings from the original parent plant. | |
 Mexicana |
And this Ivy-leaved pelargonium is 'Mexicana'. Not quite as vigourous as Ville de Dresden, but just as pretty, it has a lighter shade of green foliage, with leaves that aren't as pointed. Like all pelargoniums, it prefers being baked by the sun, but I have had good results with this variety growing in the permanent shade near the front door. It too trails some 5600mm from a basket or box, although it tends to flower later than Ville de Dresden, usually in July. It's an essential ingredient for my red colour-themed baskets, although some of the flowerheads can be more white than red. |
| Other varieties of Ivy-leaved pelargoniums not pictured on this page, but used in the garden include 'Fischer', which, if the bumpf is to be believed, is the type seen cascading from upper floor window boxes on all those chocolate box pictures of Swiss and German alpine chalets. Vivid red, with a hint of orange, it looks spectacular combined with Ville de Dresden. Another favourite is 'Tom Cat', a less vigourous variety that has flowers of deep burgundy. It's not as prolific as the other varieties, and gets smothered if planted in a basket or box, but looks wonderful as a specimen plant on its own. |
|
| This one is a zonal pelargonium, Century Cardinal. This plant grows to a height of around 600mm and carries dozens of these stunning red flower heads from July until the end of the season. It has that peculiar pelargonium scent, which I'm not overly fond of, but I keep it for its reliability and, of course, these head-turning blooms. Somewhat surprisingly, a few specimens of this plant have been left out over winter and survived, despite their reputation for not being hardy. Still, I don't push my luck too far, and always make sure that a few cuttings are safely ensconced in a frost free place over the winter. |
 Century Cardinal |
| I also have its cousin, Century Orchid, which is almost identical in size, leaf shape and smell, except for having cerise pink flowers. | |
|
|
 Back-a-Page |
 Home Page |
 Garden Guide |
 Layout |
Text, images, design and construction © cormaic web design - Last updated November 1st 2000