Saturday 26 October 2019

Species pelargonium P. mutans


P. mutans

One unusual pelargonium I have is P. mutans.  It is a sprawling plant, but quite mannerly.  The flowers are palest pink to cream and quite small.  The leaves are light green with a tan coloured zone and have an odd peppery scent.  Indeed, the plant is sometimes called "Pepper".  The plant can be propagated by cuttings or seed.


Diana Miller, in her book "Pelargoniums" says that the plant was sold and grown incorrectly for many years as P. grandiflorum and was once included within the species P. alchemilloides.  She goes on to say that it is not certain how it came to be in cultivation in Europe, but it was grown in European gardens for many years before it was collected in the wild in northern Natal in 1987 and accepted as a distinct species.

I have now completed the bubble-wrapping of my greenhouses.   Each one takes almost a day to complete as I remove all the plants, sweep through and wash down the benches before putting up the bubblewrap and replacing the plants.  This does take longer than it should because I tend to spend a lot of time grooming the plants.  I also take the opportunity to throw out any plants that do not look their best.  At this time of year I don't do the very top of the greenhouses or the fronts.   I keep the bubblewrap to hand ready to put up as soon as the weather turns much colder and hard frosts are forecast. 

The Uniques that are growing in large pots outside the conservatory all summer have now been taken inside the greenhouse.  I have about fifteen largish pots, but this year I have only kept four in the greenhouse. They have been in the pots for a couple of years now and were looking quite woody.   I have taken cuttings from all of them.  Hopefully I can grow the cuttings on to replace the woody ones.