Have you noticed that geraniums seem to bloom profusely inside many a charming English country house? They certainly did at Daylesford, the John Fowler-decorated house of Lord Rothermere, seen above.
And at Deene Park, Northamptonshire.
Nancy Lancaster had some scraggly ones at the Coach House.
More lush were those at Bentley in Sussex.
There were some tucked away near the bookshelves at Wellingham House.
Nicky Haslam has a basket full of them at his Hunting Lodge...
...while Lady Caroline Somerset chose a terracotta pot for her fiery crimson specimen.
David Hicks supercharged his Britwell House dining room with bold crimson walls and curtains and bright pink geraniums placed directly on the floor.
But what has to be one of the most charming displays of geraniums is seen in this bedroom, which was decorated by David Mlinaric. The chintz? Colefax & Fowler's " Climbing Geranium", sadly discontinued.
I had never seen that Hicks dining room at Britwell, and like all things Hicksian (design-wise), I enjoy it very well, for it's unashamed boldness and the potential risk from the limited colour palette he grasped and ran with so boldly. It may seem so very straightforward today, but it was pioneering, and only a master can bring it off so effortlessly!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Hicks's use of bold, brash color was shocking (!) for the time. Tough to pull off, and yet, Hicks certainly did so and with aplomb.
DeleteMy grandfather raised geraniums on his fire escape in his apartment in the Bronx. Every time I smell them it reminds me of him. He said he chose them because they were easy to grow in NYC. I just acquired a copy of that first book "The finest rooms of England" The stories are fascinating. They are very similar to the program on PBS about Highclere Castle.
ReplyDeleteEdward, I too grow geraniums on my high-rise balcony. They're incredibly easy to grow.
DeleteDon't you love "The Finest Rooms of England"? One of my very favorite books.
Great post Jennifer and nice shout-out to Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Re the geraniums in English houses--do you think they grew them in greenhouses and rotated them in and out of the house? ... and as Columnist brought up the Britwell dining room I looked again and saw the "slipcover" on the radiator just behind the geranium. Wow, I've never seen that done, and it's fab.
ReplyDeleteI think you must be right. Considering how hearty-looking these plants were, they must have been grown in greenhouses. My indoor flowering plants rarely look this good!
DeleteGeraniums are so beautiful + they remind me of my grandmother who rotated them so they always looked divine + they smelled good also. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThe key to success in growing geraniums - or pelargoniums as plants-people insist - is to pinch them back, a practice most hate to do. Scented plants are a plus, too.
ReplyDeleteGeraniums like lots of sun and to be somewhat dry. Neither would be true in an English country home! I think the gardener rotates them in and out of the greenhouse. Ah, to have a gardener AND a greenhouse!
ReplyDeleteSun + gardener + greenhouse + MiracleGro + rotation + pinching back + spare plants waiting in the wings!
Delete"Sadly discontinued", as you say of Colefax & Fowler's late lamented Climbing Geranium---but I acquired a hundred yards of
ReplyDeleteit when it was phased out. Now it's just a matter of waiting patiently for the Great Chintz Revival.
I feel the Revival coming on.... when it does, you will certainly be at the ready!
DeleteI noticed that there were many geraniums in Ben Pentreath's book as well.
ReplyDelete