Just wondering if there are any hardy geranium lovers here? I am just beginning to collect/grow them and Psilo and Mark had made many posts last year that helped me learn about them but I don't see them posting lately...
I know geranaiceae are far more popular in the UK and europe than in the States, so I thought I would ask here if there is much interest... thanks. t.
p.s.-- a pic of my lonely, unidentified h. gerainium...any help on this? :-)
I wonder if it could be a form of G. pratense, or 'Johnson's Blue', as it looks at lot like the one I have by that name. I love hardy geraniums and have recently bought quite a few on Ebay in the UK to add to the small number that I have found in local nurseries over the years. We have two acres of wild garden - in the sense that we have planted woodland, as well as being untidy :)- and they go so well with the cottage garden type of planting around the house, as well as coping with our poor sandy soil. I am just beginning to understand all the different species and varieties, and have bought a book by Peter Yeo 'Hardy Geraniums' which is a bit technical for me, but does go through all the different botanical descriptions.
Hope I've been some help :-)
Janice
thankyou Jaybear....I just borrowed Yeo's book from the library, so I expect it will give me lots of good information...
I think the geranium is either Brookside, Rozanne or Orion...those are the three I purchased last year, but several did not make it through the winter...and they lost their tags...must do something about that!
If you are interested in h. geraniums, there's a thread over in perennials with several other h.g. geranium (newish) collectors posting....
maybe there will be enough to resurrect the h. geranium thread...thanks again. t.
The geranium you have there is Brookside. It is particularly noticeable for its striking white centre. Sorry this is late but I havent been around at all really due to very bad health.
Hi, psilo,
So glad to know you are feeling better and back on line. I have thought of you in the past few months and wondered how you were doing. Actually, I was worried.
And this summer I had a number of questions about my burgeoning geranium collection (now up to about 20 varieties now ) and needed your advice, besides!
You sound so certain the pictured geranium is 'Brookside' with the white center--I am glad of that! I cannot tell the difference between that and the ones I have labelled 'Rozanne'.... I must be very dense on these and I have a lot to learn, or I have the labels really confused!
None is blooming now or I would show you some pics of my little group. (Not even my Rozannes--wonder why...) I think they will be especially lovely though next summer in their second year in the garden.
I miss your postings on the (defunct) 'Hardy Geranium' forum. Always found those so helpful. Please don't be so scarce around here now.
Take care. Happy gardening. t.
Hi tabascao. Sorry i have been missed, but happy to help.
Brookside and rosanne although similar in flower do have quite different habits and foliage. The habit of rozanne is more trailing and the leaves are slightly mottled (from wallichianum genes)
Im afraid I have bad news on the hg front. My bad health meant my garden and collections were somewhat neglected adn then the council got things very wrong and destroyed most of my gardens so there was nothing left. I have plenty of seed though and if you would like to try any i would be more than happy to send you some.
The status now is that i struggle to maintain any gardens at all. All i have left to my name is my knowledge which i am always happy to share with you :)
Oh psilo, I'm so sorry to hear that all your hard work has been destroyed. How awful!! :(
That's the trouble with gardens - they're an ongoing thing and if you can't get to them fo a while they can fall apart. What a pig that the council got things so wrong.
All I can do is send a big {{{{HUG}}}}
Hope you're feeling much better soon and able to do things you enjoy
Hi Philomel
Thankyou for that. The workmen were only supposed to strim back the weeds but instead they took bulldozers in and levelled the whole site. Five years work and many irreplaceable geraniums lost that i had bred. The decision of whether to continue as my health improved was somewhat taken away from me as I no longer have the energy that i did to continue. One plot which holds many geraniums still exists but i dont think i will keep that one either.
My husband left me with 3 young children and it is a struggle to find things I do enjoy. At the moment my one inspiration comes from my bird photography. I am hoping soon to get back into painting too though sadly i think gardening may take a back burner for a while. I am strong though and will come through this :)
Many thanks for the hug.
Annette
Well, as you said earlier in the thread, you can give and receive a lot of pleasure from sharing your geranium knowledge with others.
Your photos and paintings are wonderful - so immerse what little free time you have in some time for yourself with those.
So sorry to hear that your husband has gone too. You'll get through all this though and come out the other side with plenty to enjoy. You have the right spirit!!
Thankyou Philomel, hugs back to you too :)
Hugs to you as well
I to have been in the position you are now in .And have had to shift some of the garden, that was ,given from friends, or grown from seeds.
I could not think at the too time well .
A really good friend, encouraged me to dig up as much as I could, and helped me move it .
The one plot that holds a lot , I suggest you try and keep it . I have lost so much but I still am me. I am glad too see you back
Warm regards Boots
