Pelargoniums in France



    

 I've just got back from two weeks in Normandy, France with cousin Sue and her husband Malcolm.  We did not easily have access to the Internet, which explains my absence from this blog.   We had a really lovely and restful time - good company, good food, good wine - what more can one ask for?  

At the beginning of the summer Sue had planted window boxes and lots of pots with pelargoniums and everything looked very colourful and 'French' during the summer months. 





However, winter will soon be here and before we left I helped Sue clear up the garden, and we cut back all the pelargoniums, leaving some which were in terracotta pots outside in a sheltered spot, and the rest we put in the shed - brick built, so hopefully fairly frost free.   Sue also brought backs lots of cutting material from the ivy leaf plants, as an insurance.



Steps in garden

Whilst we were cutting back the plants, Sue found some very small pelargonium seedlings growing in the pots.  She has potted these up and brought them home to grow on.  They are obviously zonals and it will be very interesting to see what they are.

 

Sue's photograph of her pelargonium seedlings

I ventured into the greenhouses the day following our return (we got back late at night and in the dark), full of trepidation and fearing quite a few losses.  So I was delighted to find hardly any at all.  I had arranged for my younger son, Daniel, to pop over and water, but as the weather here was dull and very wet, this was not necessary. My neighbour, Judy, very kindly opened and closed the greenhouse doors, which was an enormous help.  I found a few leaves with botrytis and a couple of the new cuttings in their plugs had died, but that was all.  What a relief!