Nervous..

Ever wondered what £60-worth of Pelargonium x ardens looks like? 


Me neither. 


But here they are - see left.


It’s a wonderful plant, deep maroon flowers edged in finest scarlet. We got ours from the lovely pelargonium specialists Woottens of Wenhaston. Hopefully they'll look like this before too long: 

They're notoriously difficult to propagate and establish - hence the price. I’ve killed several in my time - it’s not like the bedding geraniums (zonal pelargoniums to the pedantic) which don’t mind you going on holiday. Over-watering, under-watering - this one will notice instantly and spite you by dying. Not just wilting a bit to make you feel guilty - but properly, expensively, dead.

So it was with great relief that I planted them out today, from their tiny, vulnerable-to-just-one-hot-afternoon 9cm pots, to big pots with Aeonium 'Schwartzkopf' for company. Its rich shiny blackish leaves will pick up the maroon in the petals. And very nice they look too.