Pelargonium 'Sussex Delight' (Min)

Bedding Conservatory Greenhouse Herbaceous Perennial

A rare and threatened tender, evergreen miniature variety of perennial pelargonium, to around 30cm in height, with a compact, bushy habit and lobed, dark green leaves. Clusters of double, rose-like scarlet red to orange flowers appear from late spring to autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: 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: Unresolved
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: Miniature pelargoniums are particularly compact plants in the Zonal section, growing to about 12cm tall and most suitable for use in containers such as window-boxes

How to Grow

Cultivation

May be planted outdoors in beds, baskets and containers after all risk of frost has passed; young plants may need to be hardened off first. Grow in fertile, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun, and overwinter indoors. This particular variety may become dormant in late summer and drop its leaves. Reduce watering if this occurs. See pelargonium cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring or early autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Bedding
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

deadhead regularly

Pests

May be susceptible to vine weevil, glasshouse leafhopper, root mealybugs, aphids, caterpillars, thrips, fungus gnats and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds, black leg, Pelargonium rust and pelargonium viruses. Overwatering during period of dormancy may cause root rot