This originates from Madeira and the Canary Islands and is probably the largest of all geraniums. The plant is largely evergreen, the fresh apple-green or emerald green of the new leaves providing a shot of colour in winter as they emerge. It prefers a well drained soil in full sun. The plant seems to literally heave itself out of the ground with the result that I have to regularly top up a collar of grit around the main stem. From June to August the magenta pink flowers are borne above the foliage on tall candelabra-like inflorescences. Although not hardy everywhere, it seems to enjoy the micro climate of the Belfast garden. Plants are not terribly long lived. This year my established plants of six years seemed to fade away, although this may have been due to a mixture of an excessively damp autumn and two days in January with a frost that did not lift . Fortunately, this plant is a prolific self seeder and I had a stock of plants in pots to replace the parents.