Pelargonium australe
austral Stork's-bill
Southeastern Australia and New Zealand
Overview
Pelargonium australe is a soft, sprawling perennial herb native to southeastern Australia and New Zealand. It grows 8-24 inches (20-60 cm) tall and forms a low mound or spreading clump 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) wide. The rounded to shallowly lobed leaves are grey-green, softly hairy, and have crinkled, slightly toothed margins, carried on long stalks that rise from a woody base. From spring into summer it produces small clusters of five-petalled flowers held above the foliage on slender stems. The flowers are pale pink to white, with the upper two petals marked by darker pink to purple veins. After flowering, the developing seed forms a long, beak-like structure, the source of the stork's-bill name. The plant grows naturally on coastal cliffs, rocky headlands, grasslands, and into subalpine sites, which gives it a broad tolerance of exposure and poor soils. It withstands salt spray, wind, and dry periods once established, but it is short-lived and can become straggly without occasional trimming. In cold-winter regions it is cut back or killed by hard frost and is often grown as a container plant moved under cover.
Native Range
Native to southeastern Australia, including coastal and inland sites across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia, and also native to New Zealand. It grows on coastal cliffs, rocky outcrops, grasslands, and subalpine slopes.Suggested Uses
Pelargonium australe is used in coastal gardens, rockeries, dry borders, and containers, where its tolerance of wind, salt, and drought suits exposed positions. It works as a low groundcover on banks and is grown as a frost-tender perennial or as an annual in colder regions.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Colors
Bloom Information
Flowering is heaviest from spring into early summer, roughly October to January in its native range, and scattered flowers can appear at other times in mild conditions. Each flower lasts a few days, with clusters opening in succession over several weeks. Cutting spent stems extends the display into the warmer months.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Pale pink to white with darker pink veinsFoliage Description
Grey-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Pelargonium australe grows in full sun to light shade in free-draining soil and tolerates sandy, rocky, and coastal sites. Once established it needs little water and copes with drought, salt wind, and poor fertility. Overwatering and heavy, wet soils are the main causes of root and stem rot. A light trim after the main flush keeps the plant compact and slows its tendency to sprawl. In frost-prone areas it is grown in pots and sheltered over winter, as hard frost cuts back or kills exposed plants. It self-seeds in open ground and is easily raised from cuttings.Pruning
Straggly stems can be cut back by up to one-third after the main flowering flush to keep a compact shape. Old, woody growth can be removed at the base to make way for fresh shoots. Light trimming through the season keeps the mound dense.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons