Pelargonium greytonense

The Pelargonium greytonense, often nicknamed the vanilla geranium, is a highly aromatic botanical species with small habit, whose foliage reveals a delicious vanilla and sweet scent. It is a small shrub wider than it is tall, which blooms heavily in late spring and more sporadically in summer. Its flowers are small, delicate, white with pink markings, grouped in small umbels. Like all Pelargoniums, this frost-sensitive species can be cultivated in pots in most climates, which allows it to be protected from the cold in winter.

The Pelargonium greytonense is a South African botanical species whose distribution area is limited to a small region in the southwest of the Western Cape. It is found on the southern slopes of the Riviersonderend Mountains, often in ravines, on acidic soils. This area experiences mainly winter rainfall, no frost, and hot and rather dry summers. This Pelargonium is a small perennial shrub belonging, like all geraniums, to the geranium family. Its bushy habit is supported by initially hairy stems, which lignify over time. They allow the plant to reach a height of about 40 cm (16in) with a spread of 50-55 cm (20-22in). Its foliage, which is evergreen in a mild winter, and ornamental, consists of palmate (hand-shaped) leaves with 3 lobes, covered with short and rather stiff hairs as well as long sparse hairs that secrete a pleasantly fragrant essential oil. Their color is a fairly light green. Their fragrance, which is released with the slightest touch, is most often perceived as sweet, very sugary, and vanilla-like. The flowering occurs from May-June to September, with a peak in the early period. It takes the form of heads consisting of 5 to 9 small flowers with 5 delicate petals, measuring 15 mm (1in), lighter and perhaps less spectacular than those of classic hybrids, whether perennial or annual, but more natural. The 2 upper petals, veined with pink-red, are larger than the 3 lower white-pink petals.

With a simple touch, the Pelargonium greytonense releases and leaves a delicate and delicious scent on the fingers. So, plant it in a pot indoors or in the ground, in a place where you can touch it: along a pathway or in a pot on the terrace, in the conservatory. We were captivated, one day after the rain, by a bed of fragrant geraniums and spent a long time immersing ourselves in a symphony of delicate aromas. It is perfectly possible to plant this frost-sensitive species in summer beds, but it will be grown as an annual.

Its leaves can be used to flavour desserts, fruit salads, ice creams. They can also be infused in milk or water. Try flavoring a recipe with the fragrant pelargonium flower, it works!

Note: Attention, our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under cover (conservatory, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before being installed outdoors once the risk of frost is definitively passed.