3x French geranium Pelargonium 'Jeanette' red-pink

Pelargoniums make excellent patio plants. Choose a pot or planter with holes in the base. Cover the bottom with a layer of potsherds or hydro-pellets. Use potting compost mixed with some sharp sand. Plant your pelargoniums at the correct depth. Fill the pot with potting compost and press firmly in. Immediately water after planting. Place the pot in full sun. Line the insides of a porous pot with plastic, or use a pot liner. This helps prevent evaporation and your pelargonium will not dry out so quickly. French Geranium mix wonderfully with other plants Pelargoniums mix really well with other sun loving plants in a sunny spot. You can create a lovely display on your patio or decking by combining them with the cross berry (Grewia Occidentalis) and scented jasmine (Jasminum Officinale).

Water your Pelargonium grandiflorum sparingly every morning but avoid the foliage. Be careful not to let the soil dry out, although this plant can handle quite some drought. The roots should definitely not be too wet, since a constant wetness can lead to root rot and yellow foliage which indicates stress). Ensure good drainage. We recommended that you regular deadhead to encourage a longer flowering period. For even more abundant flowering, we recommend feeding regularly during the summer. Just add plant food to your watering can. How to protect your French geraniums in winter Bakker's pelargoniums are not hardy plants, but you can keep them over the winter. Cut the stems back a bit and remove some of the old leaves. Before the first frosts, store the pot in a cool, light room (7-10˚ C). Water sparingly (preferably in the saucer), so that the soil does not dry out. In the early spring, pot up to a slightly larger pot with fresh potting compost. Prune all stems back to about half and above young shoots. As the weather gets warmer, feed and water your pelargoniums. Your pelargoniums will be ready to head back outdoors to adorn your patio about mid-spring. Watch out for late frosts. By overwintering, you can grow very large plants and these pelargoniums make great house plants too.

Pelargoniums originated in Southern Africa. Some time in the 1600s, ships of the East Indies Co. brought some plants back to Europe where they ended up in various botanical gardens.
Huge changes since then of course. Growers have created lots of different Pelargonium grandiflorum (often called geraniums). Various hybrids have come from lots of different pretty cultivars. The difference is mostly in flower colour, flower shape and size and the foliage.