THE PASSIONATE GARDENER
The fragrant charms of scented-leaf pelargoniums are a source of constant delight for plantswoman Heather Godard-key
The fragrant charms of scented-leaf pelargoniums
HEATHER JOINED FIBREX NURSERIES
when she married Richard Godard-key eight years ago. This family firm holds the national collection of pelargoniums (commonly known as geraniums) – the largest collection in the world – of which 180 are scented-leaf varieties. They met after Heather inadvertently stole moss from Richard’s stand at an RHS show to stage her own plant display. Once he’d forgiven her, their shared love of plants brought them together. How did it all begin?
When they met, Heather was running a nursery of southern-hemisphere plants with her father in Kent, while Richard and two of his five sisters, Ursula and Angela, were managing Fibrex Nurseries, which was established by their parents Hazel and Dick Key in 1958. From a chance purchase of a small collection of pelargoniums, Hazel had become hooked on growing them and the nursery was born, moving to the current site in 1985.
The national collection, opened in 1987, now holds 2,500 varieties of pelargonium (including species, regals and zonals as well as scentedleaf ), and Heather says she was “blown away” when Richard first showed it to her: “I saw it with fresh eyes, so I could appreciate how diverse and beautiful this genus is and I’ve since immersed myself in learning about it.”
Richard’s mother, who died in 2004, was a leading pelargonium expert. When in her seventies, she climbed aboard a plane for the first time and travelled to South Africa to collect seeds and plant material in the wild. “It is all thanks to her that we nurture such an amazing array of species and cultivars here now,” Heather says. “Some are very rare and we’ve even been asked to help reintroduce varieties to South Africa that have subsequently been lost there, by sending out plants.”
There are now 18 glasshouses and polytunnels, which also contain ferns, hardy geraniums, begonias, tropical hibiscus and a national collection of hedera. “We do retail, mail order and horticultural shows, but what makes us unusual is that we grow absolutely everything ourselves and we’re happy for people to come on a guided tour in the summer and see how it is done,” Heather adds.
This May, she is staging an interactive display at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival and creating a special “cake-like” arrangement of pelargoniums at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to celebrate the national collection’s 30th anniversary: “Usually, show plants can’t be touched but I’m positioning the scented-leaf ones on the corners so people can have a sniff.” What is the appeal of scented-leaf pelargoniums? These shrubby perennials are tough and easy to grow. Their leaves release volatile oils when touched, so it’s great to brush your fingers over them and you can also use them to flavour cakes and puddings. There’s such a wonderful diversity of fragrance – from citrus and rose to cinnamon – that Heather says it is impossible to get bored with them. She’s currently experimenting with distilling the oils to compare flavours.
The plants are admired for their many leaf types (lobed, rounded, deeply cut, variegated) and their habit varies from compact and bushy to large and ranging, making them lovely to have in a conservatory or porch or out on a light, sunny terrace in summer. They all bloom over a long period but the ones with the most aromatic leaves tend to have smaller, less showy flowers.
Where do they come from?
Pelargoniums originate almost exclusively from South Africa and were first taken to Holland in around the 1680s. They then found their way, via collectors, to Kew Gardens, and in Victorian times there was something of a pelargonium frenzy in the UK, with collectors and botanists sharing plant material freely. How are they best grown?
South Africa is dry, airy and light so you need to provide the same conditions here, keeping them frost-free with plenty of good natural daylight. Scented-leaf pelargoniums are specimen plants, so grow them in pots where you can brush past and release their aroma.
Use a soil-based compost such as John Innes no. 2 (multi-purpose is too light) and pinch out in spring to encourage branching and create a well-shaped plant. Apply liquid tomato feed at least once a week from May to
September, letting the compost dry out slightly between watering: they prefer to be under-watered than over-watered. Propagate from cuttings, from September through to April, placed directly into pre-wetted seed compost. Don’t use hormone rooting powder. A heated propagator will get them off to a good start. Do they need special treatment? In winter it’s best to strip off a lot of leaves, leaving your pelargonium looking quite bare, to aid ventilation and help avoid a build-up of bugs and mildew. Spraying with SB Plant Invigorator (fargro.co.uk) controls whitefly.
Stand them in a light, frost-free position over winter – a conservatory or spare bedroom – and keep on the dry side, watering sparingly when needed. Plants will improve with age and can last for 40 years, but it’s important to keep pinching out regularly from when they are young to encourage a nice core structure.