Specially for you, Mark - I know you can write a lot on this thread!
My Geranium pratense are doing very well now I've moved them to the front in the shelter of a hedge (I hate the hedge). They look even bigger than last year, and they were quite impressive then. I have a pale milky blue one - would that be Mrs. Kendall Clarke or Silver Queen - how can I tell?
I moved the Geranium lambertii, too - it grew much bigger than I thought it would. The roots made a dandelion look a wimp. I haven't decided yet where I ought to put it, so it's just sitting in the greenhouse waiting for me to get some inspiration.
I got some Geranium incanum Sugar Plum in a swap - anyone know what it looks like?
Also found Geranium albanum - anyone got any information on this one?
This message was edited Friday, Apr 20th 1:37 PM
Hardy Geraniums
I am drooling! After roses my favourites of all time are geraniums. Mark and I had exchanged e-mails about them a few months back and I know that there are many new ones that I have not even heard about. I have started a collection again for my new garden but they are the ones that are most readily available. Perhaps when I am settled in the new home and the ground is prepared you can tell me more about the new cultivars and perhaps we might exchange seeds. There might be something over here that you would like that is not readily available in the UK.
ummmm hardy geraniums
I have acollection of about 30 different ones. Lambertii is top of my wants list for this year. most are year old cuttings which flowered last year but should be better this year provided I get them all potted up into 18L pots. here's a link to my hardy geranium photo album.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1389828&a=10396280&f=0&sp=1&vt=vpall
my Erumerus are well out of the ground but my divided ones are huffing.
The Leucojums are looking great. The early ones are finished but the 'Gravetye Giants' are bursting with flowers.
Any day now my Leylandii hedge is coming out but not until the daffs have finished flowering. I have just acquired some rejects from a specialist daff grower. The nicest ones are - one where the trumpet looks like it has been torn into pieces and one that is the coloor of terracotta.
Over the weekend I will be planting my South African daisy seeds which I got while out there.
I have a few wild Canna seeds available which were picked from plants that had really small but beautiful flowers
Mark
hi mark
did you like the rhs mag
my ereumus are nearly 24" high and look great
and the gunnera is just making good head
tinklebell
my Erumerus that wasn't disturbed is about the same as yours. The rest are less than 6 inches out of the ground.
I stopped getting the RHS mag a couple of years back but I should resubscribe to it.
Mark
geranium albanum
it's from Caucasicus and Iran. grows to 18 inches. stems are trailing with pink flowers veined with magenta.
Mark
What's the name of the ground hugging geranium that sends out really long shoots and pale pink flowers? I did grow it in England but have forgotten the name.
[ Removed per member request. - Admin]
Thank you for the info on Geranium albanum. How about Erodium castellanum and Erodium guiccardi - or don't you do Erodiums? Have you got G. Salome?
castellanum from spain has pink flowers with paler throats. 18 inches high with finely cut leaves
guiccardi from greece has silver leaves and pink flowers.
I dont have G salome which is a lambertii x procurrens cross
Mark
Yes Patty I am looking forward to receiving the plants. I love the erodiums too - so delicate and beautiful.
How do you know what all these are, Mark? Have you got Bath & Jones?
I have a few spare seeds of these, from my garden or Society Distributions or trades:
Geranium Ballerina
erianthum
ibericum (v. few)
incanum Sugar Plum
koreanum (few)
lambertii (White)
maderense or palmatum
platyanthum
pratense
pratense Mrs. Kendall Clarke (I think)
psilostemon (few)
sanguineum
sanguineum Pink strain
Splish Splash
x oxonianum Claridge Druce
? blood red
? light pink
Erodium castellanum
guiccardii
manascavii
Always looking for more unusual things, if anyone's interested in a trade.
Mark, do all the above appear in your photo page? Hopefully I may have something you wish to excange seeds for. Maybe you can tell me what might interest you.
only these
ibericum (v. few)look at magnificum
lambertii
maderense or palmatum
pratense
pratense Mrs. Kendall Clarke (I think)
psilostemon (few)
Splish Splash
yes Mary I have
can I have some incanum seeds?
the plant comes from the Cape area of South Africa. green filigree leaves which are silver below. the flowers are reddish purple with a white throat. they are not very hardy but easy from seeds or cuttings in summer
Mark
I have a couple of G. incanum plants which survived the winter in my unheated greenhouse (or whitehouse a couple of times). The Sugar Plum seeds germinated easily. I did them indoors between damp paper towels. Let me know your address, and do you want a bit of the G. lambertii?
Mark
I can send you a division of Geranium 'Salome'. Did you get the Rare Plant Fair info from me yet? I'm taking all my G. incanum babies to that, but I have a plant coming into flower now so I can photograph it. Geranium magniflorum, also from South Africa , has quite similar leaves, but hasn't flowered yet. It survived -14C outside last winter, to my surprise !
Jane
yes i'll have one Jane.
the Rare Plant Fair happens the weekend before I take part in a bat conference in Galway county. After being away in South Africa I cant ask for more time off work :-(. I looked at a map and I think it is way to far to get there and back in one day. What do you think?
Mark
Mark
I checked it out on the Routefinder and here's the summary from your place to Roscrea...
SUMMARY
Total distance: 195.5 miles
Length of trip: 4 hours, 25 minutes
Too far to do a round trip in one day , really, unless you love driving. We're going down the night before.
What date are you travelling to/from Portumna ? We're off to Scotland on the 20th May , but I'll be at home up to that date.
Jane
May 18th -20th
Have any of you come across Geranium Knight reiter..I have just bought a small one of these. Purple fern-like leaves. Nice,but wondered if a bit precious/tender.
Was one of you folk looking for G.Renardii?
Jackie
your Geranium is a G pratense cultivar so should be fully hardy. I have a Victor Reiter seedling that is fully hardy.
Mark
Thanks Mark
it's a cracking-looking plant. I was a bit wary as some of the other darker-leaved varieties I have are slow to establish.
Jackie
I think your plant is 'Midnight Reiter' which is a much darker form than its parent 'Victor Reiter'. I have both and Midnight R. is very small, compact and slow growing , also keeps its colour throughout the year whereas VR tends to fade to green . MR is a fabulous little foliage plant and survives here with no difficulty but I'd be inclined to give it a spot where it won't get swamped or trampled on.
Jane