Geranium

[Walter John]

Tropical looking ? the colours are I think.

[SunnyFl]

Beautiful, Wal!  Dunno how I missed it before, but what a nice pic.

They make a nice underplanting for a small bottle, btw - which is where I have mine

[Exotic Life]

Geraniums, is a very nice plant! And you have them here in so much colors and diffrent mixes ... It's avery populair 1 year plant over here. Normally the don't survive the winters over here, but here in the garden they are still outside and new flowers are coming!

Normally they already dead now, how do we mean a very mild winter

Robbin

[Howeadypsis]

Actually its a Pelargonium but Geranium has become a common name now-its just die hards like me cant get away from the proper names

(on a technical note, Geraniums are hardy perennials with symettrical flowers. Pelargoniums are frost tender with asymettrical flowers!

I dont know about tropical but tyey are native to Africa and the med.

Once upon a time red waas the only colour you coyuld get, nowadays you'll find it hard to get a good red one!

Superb colour!

[DavePoole]

I don't go a bundle on the zonal pleargoniums ('geraniums') - probably because I can remember seeing varieties like 'Paul Crampel', which is a single red planted in thir tens of thousands in parks during the 50's and '60's.  However, I do find the species and similar hybrids very useful and effective.  This is a scented leaved hybrid ('Susan') that flowers outside for almost the entire year and can grow to 7 or 8 feet against a wall or rather less than in the open ground

And a great favourite of mine - Pelargonium acetosum, which is brilliant on a sunny bank or hanging planter, carrying masses of 3" flowers for much of the year.  The blue green leaves are very fleshy and it seems totally indifferent to our winters on the south coast:

[Howeadypsis]

Those are great Pellies Dave!

[DoomsDave]

And don't forget the infamous Ivy Leaved Geranium, Pelargonium peltatum.  

[DavePoole]

(Dave from So-Cal @ Feb. 05 2007,22:37)

QUOTE

And don't forget the infamous Ivy Leaved Geranium, Pelargonium peltatum.

Agreed Dave.  I used to have the true P. peltatum from seed collected wild in S. Africa.  It has similar flowers to those of the first pic, but with slightly narrower petals and an off-white ground colour.  It not only thrived, but also set seed freely and new seedlings would occasionally appear in cracks between paving by late spring.  Plants grew to over 3 feet  across and flowered almost throughout the year.  Fabulous splashes of colour!  

Unfortunately, in the UK there are very few Pelargoniums that can be grown to their fullest potential out of doors away from the far south so most are grown in pots, which limits them somewhat.   That said, many of the standard peltatum types make magnificent 'pillars' if grown in large containers and trained up tripods of 6-8ft. canes.