Pelargonium graveolens Robert's Lemon Rose

The Pelargonium graveolens 'Robert's Lemon Rose' is a classic among scented geraniums, with foliage that is highly fragrant with spicy rose scents. The plant is beautiful, vigorous, and bushy, covered with soft and velvety leaves that are fragrant to the slightest touch. The bush blooms from June to September, offering small pale pink flowers with a touch of mauve, streaked with garnet red, grouped in small umbels. It is one of the many hybrids known as Geranium Rosat, widely used in perfumery for their essential oil with a rose scent. This pelargonium grows quickly and easily in light and fertile soils, in full sun. It should be overwintered frost-free.

Growing in two separate regions of South Africa, as well as Zimbabwe and Mozambique, which have a climate characterizsed by hot and humid summers and mild winters, the Pelargonium graveolens is a perennial shrub belonging to the geranium family. In nature, the plant thrives in mountainous areas, particularly in humid ravines.

The 'Robert's Lemon Rose' variety is a small shrub with a bushy habit. Its hairy stems, which lignify over time, allow the plant to reach 60 cm (24in) in height with a spread of 50 cm (20in), or even more when planted in the ground. Its foliage, highly ornamental, consists of deeply lobed, thick, undulate leaves measuring 4 cm (2in) in length and 6 cm (2in) in width. They are soft and velvety to the touch, due to the presence of numerous hairs secreting a highly fragrant essential oil. Depending on the observer and the time of year, its fragrance can be perceived differently; balsamic, lemony, or spicy, it most distinctly evokes notes of old rose in summer, especially in the morning. Flowering occurs from June to October. It takes the form of heads containing 10 to 15 small, light pinkish mauve flowers measuring 15 mm (1in), which are less spectacular than those of florist geraniums, but more authentic. The 2 upper petals, veined with garnet, are larger than the 3 lower petals.

With just a touch, Pelargonium 'Robert's Lemon Rose' releases a delicate fragrance that perfumes the fingers, scents the air, and repels mosquitoes. So plant it, whether 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 scented geraniums and immersed ourselves in a symphony of delicate fragrances. In mild and humid climates, the plant will grow larger, forming a beautiful bush that requires very little maintenance.

Its leaves are sometimes used in perfumery to extract a rose essence, and the English pick its flowers to flavour their Jellies". Try flavouring a recipe with scented pelargonium flowers, it works! The edible leaves are used in fruit salads and potpourri.