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Ivy Geranium

Pelargonium peltatum, Geraniaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called hanging geranium, ivy-leaved geranium, Ivy-Leaved Pelargonium, ivyleaf geranium and Peltated Geranium.

Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum), the whole plant.
zeevveez from Jerusalem, Israel, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Sand, Loam, Clay, Chalk; pH Neutral or Alkaline
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Container plants can dry out between waterings. Indoors, with enough light, regular watering keeps them growing.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
From spring to summer water moderately; in winter water sparingly and let the compost dry out between waterings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer while growing, changing to a high potassium fertilizer once flowering begins.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Take softwood cuttings between spring and autumn.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
In spring or early summer, pinch back shoot tips, and deadhead to promote flowers.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by greedy scale, gladiolus thrips and Mexican mealybug. Diseases: bacterial leaf spot, southern bacterial wilt, botrytis blight.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Can be troubled by whitefly, root mealybugs, leafhopper, vine weevil and thrips. Diseases: leafy gall, Pelargonium virus and Pelargonium rust can occur.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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Flowers of Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum).
FlowersDennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) growing in a pot.
In a potGaurav_Dhwaj_Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Pelargonium peltatum is a scrambling purple perennial plant with five shallow or deeply lobed, circular- to heart-shaped, somewhat fleshy leaves, sometimes with a differently coloured semicircular band, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It carries umbel-like inflorescences with 2–10, white to mauve, bilateral symmetrical flowers, each with a "spur" that is merged with the flower stalk. It is known by several common names including ivy-leaved pelargonium and cascading geranium. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. In its home range, it flowers year round but most vigorously from August to October.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Cape Prov.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Cape Province of South Africa
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
S Africa (Cape)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Annual, Herbaceous Perennial; habit cascading, prostrate, spreading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 12–36 in; width up to 36 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 1–2 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, red/burgundy, variegated, white; blooms in summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers pink in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Pelargonium

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.