Pelargonium cucullatum

Often I will acquire a plant without knowing much about  where it is from or how big it grows and what sort of conditions it likes to grow under. I guess one of these days I will get myself a mobile device so I can do a 'net search while out and about. This Pelargonium seduced me with the fragrance of its small crinkly cupped shaped leaves which emit a rich complex scent when crushed. The leaves in fact remind me a bit of a cup cake patty pan.
 Apparently it grows to be quite a large shrub, with a woody base, of a couple of metres in height, in its native habitat of the Western Cape region of South Africa. As it prefers a sandy free draining soil, something which I don't have, it may have to live in a large pot. The magenta coloured flowers, which are just starting to appear, have dark purple feathery markings on the upper petals. and sit like a crown on top of the foliage. This species was used as a parent in the breeding of the 'Regal' Pelargoniums which are a vibrant part of the spring garden scene, though their popularity seems to have waned in recent years perhaps because they are fairly short lived and become woody and sprawling with age. Many of the hybrids have splendid dark almost black flowers.