In article . com,
says...
I don't often become wildly enthusiastic about scented-leaved
Pelargoniums (geraniums), but one I bought from Ray and Sacha about 4
years ago really has performed magnificently. Almost immediately
after planting I lost the label and forgot the name. I also forgot to
look it out every time I visited the nursery so it was a pleasant
surprise to see it on Charlie's web site while browsing the Roseland
pages this afternoon.

It is Pelargonium 'Paton's Unique', which is an awful mouthful for
such a splendid variety. Over the years, with only occasional pruning
it has developed a somewhat wayward, trailing habit, cascading 4 or 5
feet down a sunny wall. Left to its own devices on level ground, I
suspect it would form a knee-high, spreading mound. It carries
flowers for maybe 10 months of the year with a 3 month long climax of
colour during the summer months. The foliage is attractively cut and
indented and to my mind is fragrant of eau de cologne and resin.

It is hardy and drought tolerant in my garden, rarely needing any
added fertiliser - in fact I would bet that it is far happier in poor
dry soils. For coastal gardens in mild areas, I can't recommend this
highly enough and in less suitable climates, it would make a fantastic
'patio plant' in summer. I took this a short while ago and even now
there are lots of buds opening:
http://i8.tinypic.com/720eu5h.jpg


There are several that do very well outdoors (allthough we can not leave
them out all winter) P. quercifolium and its form Royal Oak both have
wonderful leaves, and P. Pink Capricorn (syn P. capitatum) does well even
in the wet. In recent years I have been trying some outdoors but they
tend to be of the rosette type like P. transvaalense, the sub shrubby
ones never make it! The trouble with pelargoniums is there are so many
that like orchids you can end up with too many and it squeezes out other
plants :~)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea