How To Grow Pelargoniums

Drought-tolerant pelargoniums are ideal for beds and borders, says Anne Swithinbank

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EVEN as a child I had a passion for pelargoniums, and soon discovered they were native mainly to South Africa, with no fewer than 50 species growing on or near Table Mountain itself. Collecting plants turned out to be as geographically fascinating as starting a stamp collection.

The first pelargonium grown in Europe is likely to have been P. triste, taken to the Botanical Gardens at Leiden in the Netherlands around 1600 via a ship stopping off at the Cape of Good Hope.