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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 6.6 feet 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 34 to 41°F), 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).

°C

°F

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

2050

2100

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 2 ecoregions - 2 climate-resilient through 2070. Best matches first.

California coastal sage and chaparral

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Fynbos shrubland

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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 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, 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 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 to 3,280.8 feet. In the garden it delivers a near-continuous flush of sky-blue, yellow-centred daisy flowers on neat mounding growth, typically 12 to 24 inches but capable of reaching about 3.3 feet, 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 23°F, so outside USDA zones 9-11 it must be overwintered under glass or replaced annually - a real commitment in cool-temperate gardens.

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, 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 6.6 feet 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 34 to 41°F), 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. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed this record.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Ivy-leaved geranium (Pelargonium peltatum). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/plants/pelargonium-peltatum

Sources used for this record

This record is compiled from the sources below.

Wikipedia (ecoregion articles)

Botanical research database

Open source

Source guide

Plants of the World Online (POWO)

Botanical research database

Open source

Source guide

RHS Find a Plant

Botanical research database