Pelargonium Burghi - Regal Geranium

The Pelargonium 'Burghi' is a variety of traditional florist's geranium, rather late, very popular because of its ease of cultivation and the brightness of its colour. The plant forms a small upright and bushy shrub which is adorned, from summer to autumn, with large flowers in shades of red, magenta and purple of great richness. Its beautiful fan-shaped foliage emits a typical geranium aroma when touched. All these qualities make 'Burghi' a very pretty plant for ornamental flower boxes and pots. This variety prefers semi-shaded exposures in the afternoon.

Florist's pelargoniums, also called large-flowered geraniums or pansy geraniums, are perennial hybrids of the geranium family, in a vast group called Pelargonium x domesticum, Pelargonium x grandiflorum or Pelargonium 'Regal'. These hybrids, with complex genealogy, are mostly derived from Pelargonium cucculatum, native to the southeast tip of Africa, with the contribution among others of Pelargonium diadematum and the large-flowered pelargonium, in Latin Pelargonium grandiflorum, which bequeathed them its large corollas.

The 'Burghi' geranium forms a bushy clump with a regular habit, medium-sized, 40 cm (16in) tall and about 30 cm (12in) wide. It flowers from June-July until autumn. The plant displays large corollas with 6 wide undulated petals arranged in a helix, very open, of a very bright magenta red, mottled with purple towards the centre. They are traversed by very dark veins, almost black, which give them relief and accentuate the richness of their colour. They are endlessly renewed on a foliage of beautiful, very bright green. Its sturdy and succulent stems bear large circular, pleated leaves with toothed edges and a thick, aromatic, and very healthy texture. The plant, frost-sensitive, should be protected from cold in winter.

Once reserved for balconies and terraces, pelargoniums are making a very noticeable entry into sunny flower beds and borders. Plant them en masse to create a lasting and cheerful decoration throughout the summer. These plants tolerate water shortage quite well, which allows them to be associated with garden verbenas, bacopas, and nemesias for example. Create magnificent pots and hanging baskets by combining them with white, bright pink or red flowering plants, Million Bells, variegated periwinkles, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', violets, calibrachoas.

Note: Our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under cover (veranda, 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 eliminated.