Summer Gardens From My Deck

 The sunny corner of the deck

 Cherry Tomatoes and Lantana!

 Monkey-faced Torenia.  My new favorite.

 A United Nations of Basils and Mexican Tarragon.

 Garaniums, well actually Pelargonium.  What most people call Geraniums are NOT geraniums.

I have some of the actual Geraniums in my gardens, too. But these are from a different species called Pelargonium. They were imported to Europe by the Dutch (Who's traders copped the Tulip from Turkey around the same time) from South Africa in the 1630's and are all most people know as Geraniums. Here's a nifty little paragraph about their origin locations from wikipedia:

Pelargonium species are native to southern Africa and Australia, and the north of New Zealand. Others are native to southern Madagascar, eastern Africa, Yemen, Asia Minor and two very isolated islands in the south Atlantic Ocean (Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha). Most of the Pelargonium plants cultivated in Europe and North America have their origins in South Africa.

I know that in Kenya they grow to be quite woody and bush-like. I love these "Paul Harvey" moments--and now you know....the rest of the story!