Pelargonium 'Polka' (U)

RHS Plant Profile
geranium 'Polka'
Award of Garden Merit
Conservatory Greenhouse Houseplants Bedding

'Polka' is a tall-growing cultivar that bears deep salmon-orange flowers with very deep dark red markings on the upper petals

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

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

Growing Conditions

Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
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
Accepted
Horticultural Group
Unique pelargoniums are shrubby perennials with often pungently scented, rounded, lobed or more deeply cut foliage and clusters of single, funnel-shaped white, pink, red, orange or purple flowers to 3cm across

How to Grow

Cultivation

As with all pelargonium cultivation, plants enjoy good light and frost-free conditions. A regular high potash feed through spring and summer promotes flowering

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring or summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Patio and container plants
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Cut back old plants by half in early spring to promote flowering; deadhead regularly

Pests

Generally trouble-free, but may suffer from aphids in spring

Diseases

Generally disease-free, but may be susceptible to grey moulds, pelargonium rust and pelargonium viruses