Thanks to all who answered my question. I've read each one and made copious
notes (honsetly!).

However, I took a walk down the garden, a couple of days ago (in between
the bouts of extremely heavy rain that we in the South of
England have learned to call summer this year! ) and there, blooming, in a
large flower-pot, was exactly what I was looking for! My wife apparently
took cuttings from a plant she got from somewhere and it's been there for a
couple of winters now! I must learn to open my eyes! I can only suppose that
when I've seen it, it's not been flowering and when it has been flowering,
I've not noticed it among all the other flowers (on the other hand it could
be old age, senile decay, and poor eyesight!)

Anyway, I took my wife to a garden centre for a coffee and just a look and
there we found pots upon pots of the same geranium, in full bloom - so
bought two! They were just identified as "Zonal" geraniums - no other name
was given so I still don't know the variety.

I now have enough material for plenty of cuttings! The winters, though,
here, in this part of Sussex have been so mild of recent years that I tend
to leave my geraniums outside all winter. The biggest danger now is the
amount of rain we get and not the cold.

I apologise to those people, further north, who have really had such
dreadful floods, for talking about our heavy rainfall, here in the South.
Yes we have had flooding but nothing like they have had. I used to live in
Shropshire, on the banks of the Severn, and we were flooded twice so I have
some experience. I remember that, because we lived in a steep sided valley,
I had to climb through the bathroom window at the back of the house, across
the roof of the coal-house to reach the top level of our back garden and,
from there, make my way through the side streets, along the valley side to
get to school!

Thanks again for all your replies. I've tried to answer each one but if I
missed anyone, I apologise, and if you would like an response/answer from
me, please email again.

Regards and thanks to all,

John