Frensham Lemon Geranium: The Perfect Plant for Hot, Dry Pots
Grow Frensham Lemon geranium (Pelargonium ‘Frensham’) for its fragrant leaves, cheerful flowers and superb drought tolerance
Frensham Lemon geranium is a tender perennial with strongly fragrant leaves and pretty pink flowers. This scented geranium makes a fantastic specimen to grow as a summer container plant, because it is very heat and drought tolerant.
Common name: Frensham Lemon scented geranium, Frensham Lemon geranium
Botanical name: Pelargonium 'Frensham'; syn. P. 'Frensham Lemon'
Origin: Pelargonium species originate in South Africa. The hybrid 'Frensham' has been in circulation since the 1970s.
Flowers: Medium pink flowers appear in round clusters on thin stalks that rise just above the foliage. On each individual flower, the broad top two petals have dark pink veining while the thinner bottom three are solid.
Foliage: Maple-like in shape, the lobed, crinkled leaves have a bright green color and strong lemon fragrance that's released when you touch the foliage.
Size and habit: This scented pelargonium can reach two feet tall and one foot wide, with an upright, mounded habit.
Growing Frensham Lemon geranium
How to grow it: Like other pelargoniums, Frensham Lemon needs full to part sun, light-textured soil and excellent drainage.
Exposure: Full to part sun
How to grow it: Like other pelargoniums, Frensham Lemon needs full to part sun, light-textured soil and excellent drainage.
Full sun will result in more flowers and a tighter growth habit, but a bit of protection from sun during the hottest part of the day can be beneficial.
Dense, poorly drained soil will cause this type of geranium to rot. Grow in gardens only with quick-draining soil, or keep the plant in a pot, preferably made of breathable, unglazed clay. Make sure the potting mix drains well; add chunks of bark, perlite or fine gravel to boost drainage in an all-purpose mix, or choose a mix formulated for cactus, palms, citrus or bonsai. Feed pot-grown plants twice a month with a general-purpose liquid feed.
Let the soil dry between waterings, and then water thoroughly. If 'Frensham' is growing in a pot, wait until the top two inches of potting mix feel dry before watering again.
Related: Drought-Tolerant Annuals for Garden Containers
Unlike hardy geraniums (Geranium species), pelargoniums like Frensham Lemon do not tolerate frost, so it should be treated as an annual or wintered indoors in areas colder than USDA Zone 9. It can be kept as a houseplant on a sunny but cool windowsill (water occasionally) or dormant in a cold but frost-free, dark space without watering.
