Ivy-leaved geranium
Pelargonium peltatum
Pelargonium peltatum, the ivy-leaved geranium, is a trailing, semi-succulent evergreen perennial from the Cape region of South Africa, grown worldwide for the cascading mauve-to-pink-to-white flower clusters it carries over fleshy, five-lobed, ivy-shaped leaves. Its scrambling stems (to about 2 m in the wild) make it the classic plant for hanging baskets, window boxes, and balcony planters, where it spills and blooms from spring through summer. It is genuinely frost-tender — RHS rates it H2 (hardy only to about 1-5 C), so outside roughly USDA zones 9b-11 it is treated as a container or annual plant and overwintered indoors before the first autumn frost. Unlike the toxic bulbs of some other South African ornamentals, this pelargonium is not one of those poisonous bulbs and its young buds and leaves are even traditionally eaten by people; note, however, that like other pelargoniums it is regarded as mildly toxic to pets (cats and dogs), so keep grazing animals away from it. It demands full sun and sharp drainage, tolerates drought, but will not take shade or freezing. In Mediterranean climates (California, Spain, Portugal, Greece) it has naturalized, so site it thoughtfully where winters are mild.
Climate fit: narrow (17/100)
Container
Border
Pollinator
Light
Full sun / Part sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
8-16" tall · 14" apart
Hardy in zones
9b-11
frosty to nearly frost-free winters
Native in Illinois
No
Insect-pollinated; carpenter bees are the most important flower visitors in its native South African range (SANBI/PlantZAfrica), and the foliage is a larval food plant for geranium bronze butterflies (Cacyreus species).
Cold hardiness
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Won't grow here
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Won't grow here
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
✕
Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 25 ecoregions — 18 climate-resilient through 2070 · 7 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.
Plant this, not that
Better fit for this place
For Chicago, IL, these are replacement suggestions: similar plants with a stronger hardiness fit now and/or in 2050.
Aubrieta deltoidea
Aubrieta
Aubrieta (Aubrieta deltoidea) is a low, mat-forming evergreen perennial in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to the rocky hillsides of southeastern Europe — primarily Greece, the Aegean Islands, Crete, and adjacent Mediterranean coasts. It is one of the most reliable spring-flowering ground covers for sunny, well-drained spots: cascading sheets of violet to deep pink four-petalled blooms from March through May, attractive to bees and bee flies. The honest catch is that without a hard cut-back immediately after flowering, plants become woody and bare in the centre within two or three years, collapsing from a tight carpet into a tired, gappy mat.
Better fit now and in 2050
Now: well-suited
2050: well-suited
Colchicum autumnale
Autumn Crocus
Colchicum autumnale is a corm-forming herbaceous perennial native to lowland grassy meadows across much of Europe, from Portugal and Great Britain east to Ukraine. In autumn it sends up naked goblet-shaped flowers of lilac-pink directly from the bare soil — leaves and seedpods follow in spring and die back by early summer. The honest catch is its extreme toxicity: every part of the plant contains colchicine, a compound lethal to humans and animals, and the broad strap-like spring leaves are routinely mistaken for edible wild garlic — a potentially fatal confusion. Despite the common name, it is not a true crocus (Crocus, Iridaceae) but a member of the Colchicaceae.
Better fit now and in 2050
Now: well-suited
2050: well-suited
Campanula carpatica
Carpathian harebell
Campanula carpatica is a low, mounding herbaceous perennial native to the rocky subalpine habitats of the Carpathian Mountains, ranging across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine (Wikipedia). Its wide, upward-facing bell flowers in violet-blue, white, or pink appear from June through August, making it one of the longest-blooming edging perennials available, and it holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. The honest catch is longevity: it tends to behave as a short-lived perennial, often thinning or declining after a few seasons, so gardeners should plan for regular division or fresh plants from seed to hold the planting.
Better fit now and in 2050
Now: well-suited
2050: well-suited
Platycodon grandiflorus
Balloon flower
Balloon flower is a long-lived East Asian perennial grown for its inflated, balloon-like buds that pop open into wide, five-petalled violet-blue (or white or pink) stars in mid- to late summer — one of the most distinctive bloom shapes in the border. Native to China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East, it is bone-hardy (USDA zones 3a-9b) and largely trouble-free once established. The honest catch is its very late spring emergence: balloon flower is among the last perennials to surface, reappearing in late spring when other beds are already full, and its fleshy tap-like roots resent disturbance — mark it clearly, never move it, and resist the urge to poke around the crown before the shoots appear.
Better fit now and in 2050
Now: well-suited
2050: well-suited
Similar plants
Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.
Aubrieta deltoidea
Aubrieta
Aubrieta (Aubrieta deltoidea) is a low, mat-forming evergreen perennial in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to the rocky hillsides of southeastern Europe — primarily Greece, the Aegean Islands, Crete, and adjacent Mediterranean coasts. It is one of the most reliable spring-flowering ground covers for sunny, well-drained spots: cascading sheets of violet to deep pink four-petalled blooms from March through May, attractive to bees and bee flies. The honest catch is that without a hard cut-back immediately after flowering, plants become woody and bare in the centre within two or three years, collapsing from a tight carpet into a tired, gappy mat.
Colchicum autumnale
Autumn Crocus
Colchicum autumnale is a corm-forming herbaceous perennial native to lowland grassy meadows across much of Europe, from Portugal and Great Britain east to Ukraine. In autumn it sends up naked goblet-shaped flowers of lilac-pink directly from the bare soil — leaves and seedpods follow in spring and die back by early summer. The honest catch is its extreme toxicity: every part of the plant contains colchicine, a compound lethal to humans and animals, and the broad strap-like spring leaves are routinely mistaken for edible wild garlic — a potentially fatal confusion. Despite the common name, it is not a true crocus (Crocus, Iridaceae) but a member of the Colchicaceae.
Gerbera jamesonii
Barberton daisy
Gerbera jamesonii, the Barberton daisy (also Transvaal daisy), is a tufted evergreen perennial herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to the summer-rainfall grasslands and rocky woodland of north-eastern South Africa and Eswatini. It forms a basal rosette of lobed leaves from which leafless flowering scapes rise, each topped by a single large daisy-style flowerhead in orange-red, yellow, pink, or white. It is the wild ancestor of the thousands of florist gerbera cultivars and earns its place as a long-blooming focal point in borders and patio containers, attractive to bees and other insects. The load-bearing caution is frost-tenderness: RHS rates it H1C, meaning it survives outdoors only in summer or the very mildest, frost-free spots and must be overwintered under glass elsewhere (roughly USDA 9-11). It is non-toxic, with no reported poisoning hazard to people or pets, making it a safe choice where toxicity is a concern.
Felicia amelloides
Blue daisy bush
Felicia amelloides is an evergreen, woody-based perennial subshrub native to a narrow coastal strip of South Africa's Western and Eastern Cape, where it colonises stabilising sand dunes, sandy flats, and rocky outcrops at 0-1,000 m. In the garden it delivers a near-continuous flush of sky-blue, yellow-centred daisy flowers on neat mounding growth, typically 12-24 inches but capable of reaching about 1 m, making it one of the few true blue-flowered plants for sunny pots and borders. The honest catch is frost-tenderness: it survives only light frost in sharply drained soil and collapses below about 23F (-5C), so outside USDA zones 9-11 it must be overwintered under glass or replaced annually — a real commitment in cool-temperate gardens.
Campanula carpatica
Carpathian harebell
Campanula carpatica is a low, mounding herbaceous perennial native to the rocky subalpine habitats of the Carpathian Mountains, ranging across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine (Wikipedia). Its wide, upward-facing bell flowers in violet-blue, white, or pink appear from June through August, making it one of the longest-blooming edging perennials available, and it holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. The honest catch is longevity: it tends to behave as a short-lived perennial, often thinning or declining after a few seasons, so gardeners should plan for regular division or fresh plants from seed to hold the planting.
Aloe maculata
Soap aloe
Aloe maculata (soap aloe, also called zebra aloe; long sold as Aloe saponaria) is a clumping, stemless succulent from southern Africa with broad, triangular leaves marked by distinctive "H-shaped" pale spots. It is grown for its flat-topped racemes of tubular flowers in shades of orange-red to coral and yellow, held on tall branched stalks that draw sunbirds, bees, and other insects. A tough, drought- and salt-tolerant groundcover that spreads by suckers, it suits rock gardens, dry borders, coastal plantings, and containers in warm climates. It is frost-tender: the RHS rates it H1C (roughly USDA 9b-11), so leaves are damaged below freezing and it needs protection or indoor wintering where frosts occur. The leaf gel is used traditionally for skin and other ailments, but the plant is recorded as harmful if eaten (handle with care; seeds are reputedly poisonous), so treat it as not for casual consumption around people and pets.
Educator packet
Plant packet
Ivy-leaved geranium educator packet
Pelargonium peltatum, the ivy-leaved geranium, is a trailing, semi-succulent evergreen perennial from the Cape region of South Africa, grown worldwide for the cascading mauve-to-pink-to-white flower clusters it carries over fleshy, five-lobed, ivy-shaped leaves. Its scrambling stems (to about 2 m in the wild) make it the classic plant for hanging baskets, window boxes, and balcony planters, where it spills and blooms from spring through summer. It is genuinely frost-tender — RHS rates it H2 (hardy only to about 1-5 C), so outside roughly USDA zones 9b-11 it is treated as a container or annual plant and overwintered indoors before the first autumn frost. Unlike the toxic bulbs of some other South African ornamentals, this pelargonium is not one of those poisonous bulbs and its young buds and leaves are even traditionally eaten by people; note, however, that like other pelargoniums it is regarded as mildly toxic to pets (cats and dogs), so keep grazing animals away from it. It demands full sun and sharp drainage, tolerates drought, but will not take shade or freezing. In Mediterranean climates (California, Spain, Portugal, Greece) it has naturalized, so site it thoughtfully where winters are mild.
Scientific name
Pelargonium peltatum
Plant type
perennial
Hardiness
9b-11
Light
full-sun, part-sun
Moisture
low
Spacing
14 inches
Classroom prompts
- Which plant traits are observations, and which are care recommendations?
- How would this plant fit change if the garden location moved warmer, colder, wetter, or drier?
- Which source-backed facts would you cite in a lesson handout?
Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and the field-level source list.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Ivy-leaved geranium (Pelargonium peltatum). Retrieved 2026, June 30, from https://plotwright.com/plants/pelargonium-peltatum
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
Wikipedia (ecoregion articles)
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes