Pelargonium 'The Boar' (Z/C/Fr)

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geranium 'The Boar'

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Synonyms

Pelargonium tomentosum 'The Boar'

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Conservatory Greenhouse Herbaceous Perennial
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A compact, bushy herbaceous perennial with lax trailing stems to 40cm tall; rounded, purple-centred leaves and lax clusters of single, salmon-pink flowers in spring and summer

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

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 Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–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
Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Zonal pelargoniums are bushy evergreen perennials with fleshy stems, rounded, palmately lobed leaves often zoned with maroon, and single or double flowers in shades of purple, red, pink, orange and white, from early to late summer

How to Grow

Cultivation

Under glass, grow in a well- drained, peat-free compost in full light but with protection from hot sun. Water moderately when the plant is in active growth and feed with a balanced fertiliser in spring, switching to a high potash fertiliser from early summer until autumn. Outside, grow in a neutral to alkaline soil in full sun. Lift in the autumn and keep plants dry, in bright light and frost free conditions until the spring. See Pelargonium cultivation for further advice.

Propagation

Take softwood cuttings in spring, late summer or early autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Patio and container plants
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Hanging Basket
  • Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Cut back top growth by up to two thirds and repot overwintering plants as they are resuming new growth in the late winter/early spring

Pests

May be susceptible to vine weevils, leaf hoppers, aphids, root mealybugs, caterpillars, western flower thrips, sciarid flies

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey mould and black leg