Pelargonium acetosum

The Pelargonium acetosum is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding South African botanical species, with its particularly generous salmon-pink flowering, but of great lightness, its lovely cushion-like habit and its ease of cultivation. Its species name, acetosum, comes from the tangy flavour of its foliage. The plant quickly forms a beautiful and very flowery cushion from spring to the end of summer, somewhat like certain ivy geraniums. This pelargonium is frost-sensitive: it is cultivated in pots, overwintered frost-free, or as an annual bedding plant.

The Pelargonium acetosum is a small perennial shrub belonging to the geranium family, like all geraniums and pelargoniums. This botanical species is only found in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. In the wild, it is found on rocky slopes and in dry meadows. It withstands short freezes of around -4°C (24.8°F) and tolerates drought periods well. It is a compact and well-branched bush, with a flexible habit, often slightly wider than tall, which quickly reaches a height of 50-60 cm (20-24in). Its branches are thin, smooth, and succulent when young. They lignify a little over time. The evergreen leaves are rather fleshy, rounded, tough, and glaucous green. They have a roughly crenate red margin, which is a characteristic feature of this species. Flowering occurs from June to September-October in our climate. The thin-petaled flowers are quite large (2 cm (1in)), ranging in colour from salmon-pink to almost white. The two larger upper petals are streaked with coral pink. These flowers are arranged in umbels of 2 to 7.

This Pelargonium acetosum is a generous and undemanding plant, perfect for decorating pots for a large part of the year. In coastal gardens, it can be planted in the ground, in a sunny rockery, or above a wall, for example. Elsewhere, it can be grown as an annual to decorate summer borders. Geraniums and pelargoniums are commonly used for cascading from a planter, a raised pot, or a hanging basket. Depending on the preferences of each gardener, Pelargonium acetosum can be paired with ivy geraniums in various colors, verbenas, lobelias with incredible blues, Million Bells, Madagascar periwinkles, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', or even diascias, for example.