The Fifth in Dozen for Diana - shocking pink Pelargonium

In 2015 my pelargoniums at False Bay sadly no longer include this pickable shocking pink.

Looking back after five years of gardening at Elephant’s Eye, I am choosing my way to 12 plants. Building a virtual garden in a Picasa collage using the plants I have learnt to treasure. Not the must have, shiny new, love at first sight. But the enduring contentment of same old same old. Stays green or at least hangs in there thru the summer.  Returns each year, if it goes dormant. Blooms reliably for me each year.

Five in Dozen for Diana's virtual garden

Choosing with my gardener’s head, not my heart, I have a tree for shade, a pioneer to fill the baked empty spaces, a tough groundcover (with flowers), a sense of place vigorous shrub. Now my heart says I need flowers, colour, something to pick. There are peaceful gentle blue flowers on the sage and the Plectranthus. Today I’m adding a shocking pink Pelargonium.

This is a passalong from a neighbour so I’m unsure of the species, perhaps Pelargonium inquinans? 270 species of Pelargonium in Africa, Asia, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand. 219 species in southern Africa. 135 species between Nieuwoudtville and Port Elizabeth - from PlantZAfrica

Pink Pelargonium
with Mexican feather grass and Festuca glauca 

In my first dozen I chose a white Pelargonium. That one is so vigorous, that even the prunings I’ve left as mulch are now covered in proud bunches of flowers. Enough moisture at this time of year in the succulent stems to sustain, without any roots, simply lying on or near the ground! On my wish list is the red Pelargonium fulgidum.

Pelargonium leaf

The velvety leaves perfume your hands as you work. Each sparkling fibre a little scent bubble. I was whining about my camera, and its macro function. But he said yours can actually go quite close. Try again. I forget, until I trim with my virtual scissors, quite how much detail is in these digital pictures.

Detail of a scented Pelargonium leaf

For instance, this is garnered from the previous picture.

Pelargonium buds

Altho the individual flowers don’t last long, they grow in a cluster opening in turn. Enough colour for contentment in the garden and the vase.

Scented Pelargonium

Again, a detail from the previous picture.

Pink Pelargonium

Rewarding plants which can be spread around. When I prune the straggly older plants, I trim off hand-sized pieces with happy leaves, discard the dead flower stalks, and tuck them in. A few nodes deep in the ground to encourage lots of roots. Water until they settle and grow.

Detail of a shocking pink hearted Pelargonium

This is a macro in a Mason jar (I miss the GGW photo contests!) Using a small glass vase to rest the camera on, as a tiny tripod to focus on the flower positioned at the bottom. Plush pistil and packets of pollen, nectar guides on the petals.

In your virtual garden, a place to sit quietly with your tea/coffee, listening to birds, watching butterflies – what is your first flower? That lets your heart be at peace while you both give back to nature. Remember Wildflower Wednesday!

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b a g near London of  experiments-with-plants has a dilemma. A volunteer lawn daisy, or a more exotic one from South Africa. Formerly Osteospermum, the taxonomists have renamed it Dimorphotheca jucunda.

Donna in NY state of gardenseyeview has chosen Goat's Beard with finely pleated and filigreed leaves. 

Beth in Wisconsin of plantpostings brings us the 'citrusy or Jasmine-like. I also note a hint of Rose, but it’s a very subtle, not overpowering, scent' of mock orange.

From Pennsylvania Pam's English Cottage Garden sings the siren song of roses. Which echo back from mine to hers.

(May 2014 blocking backlinks against referrer spam)

Pictures and words by Diana of  Elephant's Eye 

- wildlife gardening in Porterville, 
near Cape Town in South Africa

(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink. 
Those are my links.)