Pelargonium acetosum

RHS Plant Profile

sorrel cranesbill

RHS

Bedding Conservatory Greenhouse Houseplants

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An upright, evergreen perennial, up to 60cm tall, with succulent stems bearing fleshy, grey-green leaves. From spring to summer bears sparse clusters of star-shaped, salmon-pink flowers with long, narrow petals

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1–2 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H1C

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Geraniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Pelargonium can be perennials, sub-shrubs or shrubs, sometimes succulent and mostly evergreen, with palmately lobed or pinnately divided leaves and clusters of slightly irregular, 5-petalled flowers
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Temp S Africa

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. To overwinter, grow small plants in late summer from cuttings or cut back old plants by one third and lift for storage in a frost-free place, repotting in spring when growth resumes

Propagation

Take softwood cuttings in summer and overwinter plants in frost free conditions or take softwood cuttings in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Patio and container plants
Cottage and informal garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead regularly

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse leafhopper, vine weevil, caterpillars, thrips, and fungus gnats. Aphids can also be problematic, generally more so on over-wintered plants

Diseases

May be susceptible to foot and root rots in wet soils and by grey moulds in humid conditions. Pelargonium viruses can also be a problem, particularly if plants are maintained by cuttings