pelargonium papilionaceum: geranium papilionaceum, butterfly geranium, Rambossie
Geranium as a perfume and flavouring is very much in vogue. Its complex, warming, astringent notes are being employed by enlightened artisans to infuse everything from chocolate to gin. My favourite summer scent, “Geranium pour Monsieur” by Frederick Malle, combines the eponymous ingredient with cloves, cinnamon, white musk, mint and sandalwood. To spray it on in the morning is like stepping into a humid greenhouse early on a midsummer’s day. It’s the perfect pick-me-up and never fails to get people asking what I’m wearing.
Naturally, the first plant I wanted for my own greenhouse was a scented-leaf geranium. As luck would have it, I found a small cutting of Pelargonium papilionaceum, a South African native, for sale at Marwood Hill last spring. I mistakenly thought it would enjoy a sunny windowsill in the house whilst I refurbished the greenhouse at Polegate Cottage. This quickly dried out the compost and browned the edges of the enormous, rough leaves. I then did what I should have done in the first instance and looked it up on the Internet, only to discover Pelargonium papilionaceum is a plant of forest fringes and cool stream banks. Moved into a shady but warm position it has grown vigorously, throwing fragrant leaves into the greenhouse’s central path for me to brush against.
I find the scent heavenly, others find it harsh. In Afrikaans the common name is “rambossie” referring to the smell of the leaves which some describe as similar to the scent of a he-goat. Oh dear. Now I wonder if people ask what I am wearing for all the wrong reasons! No matter, it pleases me and I still have some friends. And the flowers, which are being produced for the first time this spring, suggest to me little pink fairies with oversized wings. The scent is the main event, but the flowers are a great bonus. In summer I plan to stand my plant outside somewhere shady before I retire it to our new garden room where our guests can comment, favourably or not, on the extraordinary, tangy, dry, spicy, masculine fragrance.
Pelargonium papilionaceum is available from geranium and fern specialist Fibrex Nursery.
Categories: Daily Flower Candy, Flowers, Foliage, Plants
There’s an enormous scented leaf geranium in our local fish and chip shop. I prefer the smell of the cooking oil!
Oh dear! So not a geranium fan then? Living by the seaside we enjoy rather too much of the whiff of chip fat to like it a lot. Each to his own 🤓
I knew you were a chap of great taste Dan! I just adore the fragrance of scented pelargoniums and am beginning to accumulate a bit of a collection of them…there is nothing like the smell on a warm day in the greenhouse. If ever you find yourself in Suffolk do try to visit the fab nursery Wootens of Wenhaston they have loads for sale.Also their plant catalogue is great too…well worth the cover price as its like a little reference book in its own right! Keep on wearing that fragrance…must nicer than eau de chip shop!
Eughh 😷 I detest that smell, especially when it strays into my garden. It’s one of the few drawbacks of living in the heart of a seaside town. Thanks for drawing my attention to Wootens of Wenhaston, I will look them up.
Not a fan of the scented leaf variety. However, the hardy geraniums are all bursting in to flower in the garden and these are wonderful. Summer is on its way!
It certainly is. I greatly regretted wearing a coat to work this morning. I was baking hot by 11am. How fast the weather changed!
He-he. As an Afrikaans-speaker I immediately saw the irony of your favourite scent!
It is a worry! Lovely to hear from you Jack. How is life in your new abode?
Glad to see this lovely plant doing so well, obviously in very safe hands. Did I tell you I went back and bought a cestrum? 🙂
Lovely. Mine is in the greenhouse. No space to bring it out quite yet! How is yours doing?
It is in one of my client’s gardens, just beginning to sprout for the year. I raved how wonderful a plant it is, hope they aren’t disappointed. You on for 3rd July at Marwood? Hope so x
I will consult Him Indoors and the builder, both of which are laws unto themselves 😉 It might not work out as we are on holiday the following week so I might have to give rather a lot of instructions 🙁
There will be other times I’m sure x