Pelargoniums

Time to Perk Them Up!

It’s time to perk up the pelargoniums* again! Mine have done pretty well over the winter; they’ve carried on flowering nicely but they are definitely in need of some new soil and some food (tomorite) and they’ll begin to really get going again. If you’re looking to buy some new ones, have a look at Fibrex - they’re pelargonium specialists.

* you might wonder like I once did about the difference between pelargoniums and geraniums. They are very similar (pelargoniums are really a type of geranium) and I adore both but there are subtle differences that just push pelargoniums to the lead in my humble opinion! The primary difference is that geraniums are hardy, herbaceous perennials that survive winter, while pelargoniums are tender, shrubby plants usually grown as annuals (but they are often sold as geraniums in garden centres). Geraniums have symmetrical, five-petal flowers and are often used as shrub or ground cover, whereas pelargoniums have asymmetrical flower clusters (I love uneven rather than even shapes!), woody stems, are often upright, can be trailed or trained and are used more in pots. You cannot beat a pelargonium in a terracotta pot on a windowsill!

Still on theme, Cath Kidston has just bought out a new hand cream ’Number 4’ in her C.Atherley collection. It smells so good - a rose geranium scent which she’s brilliantly matched back to one of my faves pelargoniums, Attar of Roses.

I also love these pelargonium paintings by my very clever Mama, Kate Corbett- Winder.