We now have fresh seeds of scented leaf and species pelargoniums which include P. capitatum, P. odoratissmum, P. denticulatum, P. mollicomum, P. grossularioides, P. longicaule, P. vitifolium, P. ranunculopyllum and betulinum. View our online store
There is also new wildflower seeds on the ‘other plant varieties’ page (online store), the latest seeds are Trifolium stellatum-star clover with spherical white flower heads, pink or yellow toned with red sepals and vicia villosa with purple butterfly-like nodding flowers. view other plant varieties
We now have new seeds available at our online store featuring beautiful natural wildflowers of Crete and other varieties in a range of flower colours, leaf forms and plant sizes. Many are grown naturally in our garden and are carefully picked by hand.
Galactites tomentosa also known as the purple milk thistle is a lovely wildflower native to Crete. It has large purple flowers with thin thorn-like petals which attracts bees and butterflies, the leaves are long and lance-shaped with small thorns around the edges and white mottled-markings. It is an upright annual that grows to about 100 cm in height and prefers slightly sandy/loam soil in full sun. This plant makes a lovely addition to a wildflower meadow especially when combined with natural grasses and flowers.
Geranium robertianum pictured below is another wildflower which has tiny pink flowers and deeply dissected leaves which release an aroma when crushed and when rubbed on the skin are believed to help repel mosquitoes. It is an upright annual that grows to about 10-30 cm in height with reddish hairy stems and prefers slightly sandy loam soil conditions in full sun to part shade. This plant looks attractive as a ground cover in large pots under trees or large shrubs such as roses.
Other plant varieties include erodium cicutarium which has bright pink flowers and Erodium trifolium with clusters of white flowers and violet markings. There will also be more seeds available later in the year.
The attar of roses leaf scent of Pelargonium capitatum has a lovely soft & delicate romantic feminine aroma which is released when bruised and can be added to fragrant bouquets, food and beverages, essential oil, fragrant pillows and potpourri. it is a lovely species with soft delicate ovate crinkled leaves on long trailing branches and beautiful purple pink flowers arranged in an inflorescence of 10-20 blooms making it an attractive plant for pot & containers or the scented garden.
Pelargonium cordifolium means ‘heart’ referring to its heart-shaped leaves which are dark grey green and finely to coarsely toothed with a light apple scent. The attractive flowers are pink to purple with large ovate upper petals with purple veins and three narrow lower petals. It is an upright hairy spreading shrub which grows to a height of 150 cm, woody at the base with soft green branches. The flowers and foliage are used in flower bouquets and potpourri.
New seedlings of P. hispidum, P. rober’s lemon rose and P.capitatum ‘attar of roses’ have now germinated.
Pelargonium capitatum ‘attar of roses’ is similar to that of the species P. capitatum but has a stronger scent and brighter flowers. it is a trailing plant which is more upright than P. capitatum.
Rober’s lemon rose (pictured above) is a charming pelargonium with rose lemon-scented velvety leaves and resembles that of a goose foot or tomato leaf. The flowers are purplish pink with deep purple veins and are believed to be a cultivar of graveolens. This plant grows well in a pot near the house so you can inhale its lovely scent as you brush past or as a garden plant to admire its delicate pastel pink blooms throughout the year. It shows some similarities to its parent plant P. graveolens, also known as the sweet scented geranium which has rose minty scent and triangular deeply incised leaves, soft to the touch with a velvety texture. known in Europe as early as the 17th century when its leaves were used to make perfume and potpourri as well as added to food and beverages.
Pelargonium ionidiflorum is now in flower, a lovely woody low growing shrub with bright violet flowers which is ideal as a garden plant combine with other shrubs or in a pot to display with its long dainty flower stems and striking blooms. The stems are greyish brown rough and woody with small celery scented deeply lobed leaves. Its name means violet colour flowers from the Greek ‘ion’ meaning violet in colour and from the Latin ‘florum’ meaning flower, it is native to small areas of the Eastern Cape of South Africa in rocky ground and in parts of the Karoo.
Like that of the pelargoniums many succulents also grow in similar areas of South Africa, The Huernia Pillansii is now in flower,which are star-shaped cream in colour with reddish blotches and soft thick stems with bristles. It is native to the Eastern and Western Cape on stony ground.
The lovely magenta flowers of P. reniforme, a trailing low growing shrubby plant with greyish green soft velvet-like leaves which have a very light aromatic scent and are more silver in colour underneath, the name ‘reniforme’ refers to the kidney-shaped leaves. The flowers are formed in an inflorescence of about ten flowers on long flowering stems, the two upper petals are thin and oblong with darker veins and blotches.
This plant has tuber-like roots which can be used medicinally as an infusion for curing several ailments, mostly respiratory and chest infections, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis & dysentery (from the 1890s) for both humans and animals, it is unknown if it causes any side effects, the powdered form is used as a face cream to help remove pimples and is also believed to have antimicrobial benefits used to kill or reduce bacteria.
There appear to be two different forms of P. reniforme, the first has trailing stems which become woodier as it matures with less curving bright flowers and thicker flower petals, while the other has a more upright growth resembling that of P. sidoides with bigger leaves, which tends to be rarer in cultivation.
It is native to the Eastern Cape and Lesotho on higher ground where it grows in hot sandy conditions or open areas covered with grasses and can also grow well in a range of different altitudes. Unfortunately, native plants are illegally taken from the wild and sold or used medicinally possibly causing the slow decline of this amazing species.
We now have new seeds available at our store, pelargonium peltatum-pale pink, white & purple pink mix.
A beautiful trailing pelargonium with attractive leaves and flowers. The leaves are slightly fragrant, rounded, fleshy with a slightly succulent appearance and a dark circular zone in the centre.
The flowers can vary in colour from pastel shades of white, pink or pale purple & each flowering stalk has about 2-9 flowers.
P. peltatum is a trailing slightly succulent plant that likes to trail through other shrubs or trees and is ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, medium sized pots or planted next to trees or trellis.
unfortunately we only have a limited availability of seeds this year, but will try hard to have more available in summer 2023. view on our website
We also have new seeds of Pelargonium multibracteatum-
A charming pelargonium with branching stems and lightly scented soft green rounded lobed leaves with a darker zone in the centre, the flowers are white with a slight pink tinge at the base & each flowering stalk has about 5-16 flowers.
P. Multibracteatum is a spreading shrub which reaches to about 50 cm/20 inches in height.
The name “multibracteatum” refers to the many bracts of this plant and is native to East Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan & Arabia. It is ideal for pots or planted in the garden.
The Sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, commonly grown in fields throughout the country & facing east towards the sun, as its intensifying light illuminates the golden flowers and projects its powerful energy. In traditional folklore it is a symbol of warmth & the sun’s healing power, a highly cherished flower by the Ukrainian people who often wore or embroidered them into their clothing to deter negative energies and bring good health & luck. Sunflower designs were also added to furniture, fabric and wall paintings. The bright golden sunflowers against the blue sky is also said to represent the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
Sunflowers are tall upright annuals which grow to about 300 cm/120 inches in height and are member of the daisy family believed to make your day a happy one. Its large yellow flower represents the sun and the disk in the center contains lots of small flowers which attract many insects for pollination because of its warmth as it tilts towards the sun.
Sunflowers were introduced to Ukraine during the 18th century by Peter the Great and they have adjusted well to the hot dry conditions, especially with the creation of the cultivar ‘sunny’. The country is now one of the leading suppliers of sunflower oil from around the globe. Sunflower seeds are also extremely popular in food during lent, and were accepted by the Orthodox church during this fast.
But now as war rages in Ukraine, sunflowers are now being used as a symbol of peace and resistance, worn, planted or used as a symbol of protest in honour to the people of Ukraine, to the thousands of people who have lost their homes, family members, those fighting in war, or for whose who have left their country as refugees.
The graceful long-stemmed species pelargoniums can look just as stunning as any hybrid or cultivar with their long elegant flowers stalks which holds the beautiful delicate flowers and the dainty long leaf stalks that display their aromatic or decorative leaves.
P. capillare is a lovely pelargonium species with very thin petioles which are about 2-6 cm in length. The name Capillare means like thread, most likely because of its very thin leaf stems. The flowers are reddish-pink with raised patches of dark red on the upper petals also with markings of red on both the lower & upper petals, the underside is also darker in colour. This plant shows some similarities to P. tricolor but its leaves are more deeply divided and the flowers differ slightly. It is native to the South Western Cape of South Africa where it grows on mountainsides.
Pelargonium tenuicaule
Pelargonium tenuicaule has long spreading rambling stems with five shallow toothed circular leaves. The flowers are cream when they first open but change to white with a dark purple smudge on every petal, The two upper petals are rounded and cupped. This plant can over time look rather bedraggled in appearance, it is native to Namibia and Namaqualand where it grows in rocky places.
Pelargonium spinosum has an unusual spine like petioles, believed to be hard debris from the continuous petioles which give it the appearance of thorns. The leaves are heart-shaped with coarse teeth and are somewhat pungent scented, they also vary in size depending on where they grow on the plant. The smaller leaves are visible on the shorter stems, while the larger are visible on the continuous petioles. The flowers are long ovate large light pink to white in colour with purple veins. It is native to the North-Western Cape and Namibia.
Pelargonium spinosum
Pelargonium echinatum is another exquisite species, with woody spiny stems and long petioles. The leaves are grey-green ovate with 3-5 shallow lobes. The flowers are usually white but in their native habitat, pink and purple types also exist, followed by a deep red smudge on the upper petals. It is native to Northern Western areas of the Cape in dry conditions and sheltered by rocks or other shrubs, there are a few hybrid forms of this plant such as P. ‘miss Stapleton’.
Pelargonium plurisectum is a low growing shrub with thin branching stems which create a zigzag effect. The leaves are rounded and are divided into five toothed leaflets. The flowers are large orangy red or scarlet in colour with darker markings, to which the lower petals are slightly smaller than the upper petals. It has been discovered growing in Ethiopia and remains dormant for many months, it can also withstand cold conditions more than any other pelargonium.
Others include P. longicaule-has long elegant flower stems with pale pink flowers and dark green deeply divided leaves known as the butterfly bush. P. australe- long branching stems with ovate leaves and up to 12 white flowers native to Australia P. grossulariodes- long reddish stems with fruit scented kidney shaped leaves and small reddish purple flowers. P. Capitatum- long spreading branches with rose scented leaves.
Pelargonium Species world 