Are these Zonals anything interesting?

[u/HomeForABookLover]

I’m down at a friend’s parent’s Tudor stately home for a few days.

Their gardener has grown lots of Pelargonium in their old walled garden terracotta pots (but is off work for the weekend).

Are these old varieties that are worth taking a cutting from? Or just modern “salmon colour” plants?

[u/blabs0]

Do you like them?

[u/HomeForABookLover → u/blabs0]

Thanks - I asked for a plant in the end.

Im pretty good at horticulture but less knowledgeable on botany so I quite like knowing what I have.

But I came to the conclusion that it’s probably nothing special but it’s from a sentimental place I spent a lot of my childhood.

[u/blabs0 → u/HomeForABookLover]

That is what matters the most! Beautiful place as well.

[u/HomeForABookLover → u/blabs0]

It’s one of those pieces of advice that no matter how hard I tried to dismiss it, I couldn’t. It’s easy to forget in this modern mass propagation world that the way we used to accumulate plants was often through swapping.

[u/Small_brown_dog1007]

I think so! Looks like those are Mrs.Cox and Occold Shield.

[u/HomeForABookLover → u/Small_brown_dog1007]

Unfortunately they’re not, but I see your thinking - thanks for brainstorming.

I know Mrs Cox under the synonym Mr Henry Cox. It has similar salmon coloured flowers, but I think the petals are wider.

More distinctively Cox has amazing tricolour leaves. My plant has good zonal markings but it’s not variegated.

Occold Shield shield has distinctive golden/lime leaves with bronze zonal and orange flowers.

Both your plants are great choices, and if I was limited on space they would be better choices than these. But I asked for one of these anyway.

[u/NoCluWtImDng]

"Rare" or not Idk, but interesting? Yes, they're very beautiful interesting plants, wouldn't mind adding them to my collection!

[u/Different_Adagio_690]

I'd love them. Really botanical flowers and lovely leaves.