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Herbaceous Perennial

Pelargonium triste

night-scented geranium

A tuberous perennial with finely divided, trailing green leaves covered with fine silvery hairs. Clusters of small, night-scented flowers, with pale yellow or pale pink petals with dark red markings, are held on tall stems in late spring and early summer

Other common names

night-scented pelargonium

Synonyms

Pelargonium flavum

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1C

Botanical details

Family: Geraniaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Trailing
Genus: Pelargonium can be perennials, sub-shrubs or shrubs, sometimes succulent and mostly evergreen, with palmately lobed or pinnately divided leaves and clusters of slightly irregular, 5-petalled flowers
Name status: Correct
Plant range: South Africa (Cape)

How to grow

Cultivation

Thrives in sandy, well-drained soils in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. Grow under glass, or in containers and overwinter indoors. Plants may be summer dormant in warmer regions; keep almost dry when not in growth to prevent rotting

Propagation

Propagate by seed, by softwood cuttings, or by division of tubers when plants are dormant

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to root mealybugs, thrips, fungus gnats and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

Generally disease-free, though prone to rot in poor drainage

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