Pellymania in Sweden – Our Pelargonium Adventure!
We are always happy to share our passion for Pelargoniums and to meet and talk to as many fellow Pelargonium enthusiasts as we can. So, when we were invited to travel to Sweden to attend a popular Pelargonium show, we jumped at the chance!
Having never visited Sweden before, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I mean, it's cold there, right?  Apparently not!
We arrived to beautiful sunshine and summer weather that felt very much like home. After flying into Stockholm, we made our way to Västerås, where we were made incredibly welcome by our hosts for the weekend. Even on the journey there, we were struck by just how beautiful the Swedish landscape was.
But, of course, we hadn't really travelled all that way for the scenery - we were there for the Pelargoniums!!!
A Swedish Pelargonium Show
We were up bright and early on Saturday morning to head over and help with the preparations for the show.
The event was being held at a wonderful Vallby open-air museum in Västerås, surrounded by historic Swedish buildings that had been brought together from across the region. It made a fantastic setting for a day celebrating Pelargoniums.
By the time we arrived, much of the setup was already underway thanks to the incredibly efficient team of organisers and exhibitors contributing to the Mälardalens Pelargonvänner show.
The first thing that really struck me was the explosion of colour. There were Pelargoniums everywhere!
Hundreds of different plants were being exhibited, representing an enormous range of Pelargonium groups, forms, colours and growing habits.
There were beautiful specimen plants, familiar favourites, unusual species and hybrids, some fantastic newer cultivars and, particularly exciting for me, a number of older varieties that I genuinely thought might have disappeared years ago.
Needless to say, there was quite a lot of me saying:Â "I've not seen one of those for years!"
Pellymania!
What became very apparent during our visit was just how much enthusiasm there is for Pelargoniums in Sweden.... There is a real Pellymania going on! It was really fantastic to see.
As impressive as the plants were, one of the real highlights of the weekend was meeting the people who grow them. Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and we spent much of the day chatting with fellow growers and enthusiasts, comparing plants, talking about cultivation and sharing stories about different vatieties.
We came away having made lots of new friends and contacts, got to share some fantastic birthday cake, and with an even greater appreciation for just how far the passion for these plants extends beyond the UK.
For a specialist nursery like Growing Crazy, visits like this are also incredibly valuable.
Our collection contains hundreds of different Pelargoniums, including many unusual, historic and rarely grown varieties. Seeing what other enthusiasts are maintaining in their collections gives us the opportunity to discover plants that may have become difficult to find here in the UK and, importantly, to share knowledge about keeping these varieties in cultivation for the future.
Sometimes a plant that has almost disappeared in one country is still happily growing away in somebody's greenhouse hundreds of miles away. That's one of the wonderful things about the Pelargonium community.
Plenty of Inspiration for Growing Crazy
Of course, while I couldn't bring any Pellies home I did get to walk around hundreds of Pelargoniums to come away with a few ideas!
There were also some fascinating newer varieties on display alongside wonderful old favourites, showing that the world of Pelargoniums continues to evolve..
Until Next Time, Sweden…
Sadly, it was only a short visit for us. At this time of year there is always plenty waiting for us back at the nursery and in the Pelargonium Palace, so we couldn't disappear for too long!
But we absolutely loved our first visit to Sweden.
We came home with photographs, stories, new friendships, plenty of inspiration and an even greater enthusiasm for the plants we grow. Most importantly, it was wonderful to spend time with so many people who share our slightly crazy passion for Pelargoniums!!
There was far too much to see and talk about in a single post, so we'll also be sharing more photographs and video from our visit - including a longer look at some of the fantastic Pelargoniums we discovered.
A huge tack så mycket – THANK YOU very much – to everyone who welcomed us, showed us their plants, shared their knowledge and made our first Pelargonium adventure in Sweden such a memorable one.
We very much hope it won't be our last.
Pellymania is alive and well in Sweden – and we absolutely loved being part of it!
Steven