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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Geraniaceae (Geraniums) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Violet |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: Spreading |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Pelargonium ionidiflorum (Fairy Cascades) - A long blooming small subshrub/ perennial that grows to 12 to 18 inches tall with stems rooting to form a wider patch. The older stems have a somewhat corky bark with the younger thin green stems bearing 1-2 inch long lacey green leaves that when brushed emit the slight subtle aroma of parsley. The soft leaves are held on long slender petioles, which like the undersides of the leaves and leaf margins, are hirsute with white glandular hairs. Year round and held in open umbels at the branch tips are the beautiful small dark violet pink flowers with darker markings on the posterior petals. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently spring through fall. Cold hardy to 20°F and useful in USDA Zones 9 and above. In South Africa it is known to tolerate near seashore conditions and slightly saline soils. Shear lightly after a peak bloom to clean up and prune back lightly if needed to keep planting dense. This is a great long lived plant that provides its attractive violet pink flowers year round - great in the dry, rock or border garden for a spot of color or as a reliable ground cover. It is also good in a container or hanging basket and is known to attract bees, butterflies and other insects. Pelargonium ionidiflorum has a very restricted natural range in an inland area of Eastern Cape, South Africa called the Karoo, an area that has high summer temperatures with some summer rainfall and winter temperatures below freezing. The name for the genus comes from Johannes Burman (1707-1780, a Dutch physician and botanist who Linnaeus worked for in his youth. Burman first used the name to describe some South African Geraniums in 1738. The name was derived from the Greek word 'pelargós' (pe?a????) meaning "stork" because the seed head looks like that of a stork's beak. The specific epithet is from the ancient Greek word 'ioeid?s' meaning "violet colored" and the Latin word 'florum' meaning "flower" in reference to the flower color. This plant is sometimes commonly called Path Geranium or Celery Scented Geranium and there are several color forms of the species, some with darker flowers that our selection. The species has also been sold in the nursery trade as 'Fairy Cascade', 'Fairy Cascades', 'Fairy Pink', 'Pink Fairy' and 'Pink Fairy Cascade'. We were given this beautiful little plant by Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville.
The information about Pelargonium ionidiflorum displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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