Japanese name: ペラルゴニウム グランディフロルム Scientific name:Pelargonium grandiflorum
[Overview]
A perennial or subshrub up to 75 cm tall.
The stem is green and smooth.
The leaves are alternate, about 5 cm long and 8 cm wide, shallowly palmately divided into 5–7 lobes, and glossy.
Some leaves have a brown, V-shaped band-like marking.
The leaf margins have coarse teeth.
The nodes have ovate stipules.
An umbel at the tip of a long flower stalk bears 2–5 five-petaled flowers.
The flowers are large, in colors such as white, pink and red, with dark red markings on the two upper petals.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil.
It dislikes heat and humidity, so move it to a well-ventilated place in summer.
It is also somewhat sensitive to cold, so care is needed.
Keep it somewhat on the dry side, watering after the soil surface has dried.
In addition to base fertilizer, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil during the growing period.
Diseases and pests include rust, powdery mildew, aphids and spider mites.
