From the Duchess's Glasshouse to RHS Badminton 2026

There are flower shows... and then there are flower shows with a story.

This July we'll be exhibiting at the very first RHS Badminton Flower Show, and we honestly couldn't imagine a more fitting location to celebrate our passion for Pelargoniums.

For many visitors, Badminton House is synonymous with the world-famous horse trials. But long before horses made the estate internationally renowned, Badminton was already making its mark in horticultural history thanks to one remarkable woman.

The Duchess Who Loved Plants

Mary Somerset, the First Duchess of Beaufort (1630–1715), wasn't simply a keen gardener - she was one of Britain's most influential early botanists and plant collectors.

At a time when exotic plants were arriving in Britain from every corner of the globe, the Duchess transformed Badminton House into one of the country's leading botanical collections. Seeds and plants arrived from South Africa, the Caribbean, India, China, Japan and beyond, where they were carefully cultivated in the estate's gardens and heated glasshouses. She worked alongside some of the greatest botanists of the age helping identify and grow newly introduced species.

Among the plants she is credited with introducing into British cultivation was Pelargonium zonale – one of the South African species that would later become one of the principal parents of the familiar Zonal Pelargoniums ('Geraniums') grown throughout the world today.

The Beginnings of a Pelargonium Story

It's fascinating to think that more than 300 years ago, species Pelargoniums were already growing at Badminton.

While the spectacular hybrids we enjoy today would not appear until much later, these early South African species provided the building blocks from which generations of breeders created the incredible diversity of Pelargoniums we now know and love.

Many of the heritage varieties we grow at Growing Crazy can trace their ancestry back through centuries of breeding to these original species introductions. Without pioneering collectors like Mary Somerset, the story of Pelargoniums in Britain would almost certainly have looked very different.

The Duchess was so passionate about her plants that she commissioned a magnificent collection of botanical paintings – now known as the Badminton Florilegium – which recorded many of the rare plants she cultivated. More than three centuries later, it remains one of Britain's finest botanical treasures.

Several of these beautiful paintings are especially fascinating to us as Pelargonium enthusiasts. One appears to depict Pelargonium zonale, the South African species that became one of the most important ancestors of today's Zonal Pelargoniums, Rosebud Pelargoniums and Irene Pelargoniums – all groups that continue to play an important role in our own National Collections.

Another illustration appears to show Pelargonium peltatum, the elegant trailing species that became the foundation of the Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums. Today, Growing Crazy is proud to hold the Plant Heritage National Collection of Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums, making it rather special to see what may be one of the earliest artistic records of one of their ancestors.

Returning to a Place Steeped in Pelargonium History

For us, exhibiting at the inaugural RHS Badminton Flower Show feels like coming full circle.

Earlier this spring we were fortunate enough to visit Badminton House during the Open Gardens, where we had the pleasure of meeting the current Duchess of Beaufort. We were then delighted to meet Her Grace again at the Chelsea Flower Show, where we spent time chatting about our shared enthusiasm for Pelargoniums. It's wonderful to see that, more than three centuries after Mary Somerset's remarkable collection helped establish Badminton as an important horticultural estate, there is still such genuine passion for these beautiful plants today.

That makes exhibiting at RHS Badminton feel even more special.

We're hoping to bring along a wonderful selection of species Pelargoniums, including Pelargonium zonale itself, together with a number of other species that Mary Somerset may well have grown within her own collection over 300 years ago. Alongside these, we'll be showcasing heritage cultivars, modern hybrids and many from the National Collections at Growing Crazy.

We hope that everyone who visits our stand will leave with not only a new favourite Pelargonium, but also a greater appreciation for the extraordinary journey these plants have taken from the mountains and coasts of South Africa, through the glasshouses of Badminton House over three centuries ago, to gardens across Britain today.

We cannot wait to be part of the very first RHS Badminton Flower Show and to celebrate both the future and the fascinating history of one of Britain's most underrated plant groups.

You can also hear more about Pelargoniums on BBC Gardeners World which may also feature our very own P. Zonale which was one of the plants featured in the original Badminton Florilegium.

 

Figure 1. "Geranium from the Cape" from the Badminton Florilegium. The painting may depict Pelargonium peltatum, the South African species that became the ancestor of today's Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums. Growing Crazy is proud to hold the Plant Heritage National Collection® of Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums. Image courtesy of Badminton Estate.

 

Figure 2. A painting from the Badminton Florilegium believed to represent Pelargonium zonale. This remarkable South African species became one of the principal ancestors of modern Zonal Pelargoniums and contributed to many other groups, including Rosebud and Irene Pelargoniums. Image courtesy of Badminton Estate.