Hi, everyone--
We were discussing on another thread the merits of different hardy geraniums and I thought it might be useful to share pics of our garden combinations or HG plants in the garden--to see how others use them.
One of my favorite combinations is HGs with daylilies--
This is a sweet yellow daylily (No-ID) with faint lavender purple lines that are complemented by the 'Claridge Druce' seedling.
What's growing in your garden?
"Dublin Elaine" with "Truly Angelic" hemerocallis with "Rozanne" (I think).
I am going to try to divide this HG and plant more at the feet of my daylilies--it twines in and out and makes a pretty contrast...
Anyone else have pics to share?
Hello tabasco,
Your hemerocallis and geranium set each other off well !! Thank you for sharing.
Geranium oxonianum with Anomatheca laxa
goldenfish-- that is a sweet h.g. combination with the anomatheca laxa-- I am not familiar with the latter. Do you find it easy to grow?
For those looking for more H.G. links, I found this web site with lots of pretty h.g. pics and a good links page.
http://www.glendalegeraniums.co.uk/geraniumsio.htm
There are so many H.G. lovers in Britain.
I wonder if they are very popular in Japan?
Very pretty, Goldfish and welcome to the forum. Looking forward to seeing more posts from you. Beautiful veining in your HG. I bet anything it's not hardy in my zone. The really gorgeous ones never are.
This is a really cool new hardy geranium variety, 'Cheryl's Shadow'. Has anyone tried it?
http://www.planthaven.com/geracher.htm
I would really like a plant, but I can't seem to find it available to the public. Our local nursery owner grows it at his own house and it is one of his favorites. From what I understand, he has not been able to find a supplier.
http://nativeson.com/home2.html
'Cheryl's Shadow' is very cute and I like the dark leaves. Thanks for mentioning it--it is new to me and I would like to know more about it too.
I googled around a little bit too and found out Michigan state did a trial on it and liked it well enough to give it a 4 rating out of 5 but said to grow it for foliage, not particularly for the flowers.
And I found out the hybridizer, Dave Fross, is the owner of Native Sons Nursery in Washington (wholesale) so at least you are in the right state and Watson's Greenhouse seems to have it listed but they don't do mail order.
I suppose it may take a couple of years until it makes it out here if you can't even find it in WA!
If you find it, you must let us know!
Hello beaker and tabasco
Thank you for viewing!
What is the lowest temperature in your zone beaker? G.oxonianum is hardy to -12deg F.
tabasco,
Thank you for letting me know the lovely links page of HG.
Anomatheca laxa is small iridaceous bulb plant and easy to glow from seed but sensitive to the cold. HG is also popular in Japan but they don't grow well outside of the northern
part :( It is very difficult to get through the hot and humid summer in here!
G.phaeum var. phaeum with Aquilegia
This message was edited Jul 30, 2006 1:31 PM
This message was edited Jul 30, 2006 10:42 PM
Zone 4 heat index is -30 F., but I know from personal experience it can get colder than that, LOL. Where is Tottori, in the north? A few months ago, we were looking at pics of a beautiful species lily grown from seed that came from the north of Japan. Lovely combination with the Columbine.
Tottori isn't in the north so I'm hard put to it to keep them good condition in summer. Anyway, -30F. ??? Wow ! It's the world beyond my
imaginings!!!
There are 7 endemic species lilies of Japan. My favorite is Lilium Japonicum Thunb. Representative lily of Japan.
http://riken.web.infoseek.co.jp/2005/sasayuri.htm
I'm happy to see it in woods:)
Here is an old photo from my days as a snowbird gardener. This was taken at The UofM landscape arboretum SW of Mpls. They use a lot of hardy geraniums in their display beds, but this was the most striking combo I have seen.
Interesting, dale, to see hardy geraniums used as a ground cover over a large swath. I hadn't thought of using them that way.
I guess it depends on how much space you have, or want to cover. I thought that was a great color combo. And easy to take care of, up there in the great white north. Just mulch them in the fall, maybe a little fertilizer in the spring and water some during drought. What could be simpler?
I am out of geranium pictures, ginger instead...
This message was edited Aug 6, 2006 2:56 PM
I bought this Visions Violet sanguinium this spring, and it has made itself at home in my garden. I don't have much experience with the sanguiniums, since I grow most of my plants from seed, and the sanguiniums are a little finicky. I had better success by winter sowing them this year.
I had to cut back all my hardy geranium in my sun garden this morning. The three weeks of 90 to 100 degree heat really did a job on them. Last year Jolly Bee was a mass of blooms right up until frost. Katheryn Adelle, while not a mass of blooms, also bloomed into fall. I was surprised after cutting back to see that they all have started putting out new growth and the Jolly Bee was blooming under all that dried up dead stuff. I had moved the Buxton to a shadier spot this spring and that one is still doing well. Some smaller new ones I had planted last fall as bare root have disappeared. I think they might be goners. One was the Birches Double and the other a pink sanguinium which had not bloomed yet. I count myself lucky as this was the worst of the damage. I also lost some red millionbells and red coleus, but I have sister plants I took cuttings from. Oh, I also lost some clematis vines. They just shriveled up. I'm hoping the roots are still OK and am looking for new growth, hopefully, soon. Anyone else have problems with their geraniums in the heat?
Heat isn't usually a problem around here. We seldom get above the 70's here, and often the 60'sF. Hardy geranium seem to like us, unless they are native to warmer, drier climes.
Yes, heat has done in several of mine in the past year. I just lost 'Purple Pillow' last week. 'Rozannes' have been victim to the heat, too.
It has taken some garden 'adjusting' to find friendly spots for my Rozannes. They seem to be sensitive to direct afternoon sun and also moisture--both too dry or too wet through the seasons.
Claridge Druce is hard for me to kill, though.
I think choosing the 'right' hardy geranium for the spot and area climate is crucial here in the east/midwest. Not as easy to grow them here as in Britain. Of course, Alaska has challenges but I bet, too, the temperate summers are good for them.
There are a few types I have tried that don't seem to winter well here, but many of them are wintered over in pots, so that is not a fair test. All my plants, so far have been started from seed, so they learn from infancy that they'd better adjust or hum the swan song and expire! LOL! I started Claridge Druce this spring, so we'll see how they winter over. Here is a picture of a Mrs. Kendall Clarke that was a happy surprise in a seed mix. It is always one of the first domestic varieties to bloom.
One of the things that keep me from growing more hardy geraniums is that all the really gorgeous ones are not hardy for my planting zone. I hadn't thought about doing them in pots and overwintering.
Weezingreens - do these go dormant in your greenhouse? Do you withhold water over winter or water a bit? How big a pot would a mature plant need?
No, I sell plants, so the left over potted geranium get trimmed back and wintered over with mulch. Last year, I put them in one of my coldframes. This year, it won't hold them all! I don't think your winters are as much of a deterrent than your hot summers.
Tabasco your daylilies and geraniums are lovely together! Oh, how I wish my daylilies would flower for me once in a while! Maybe, they're not getting enough sun. Anyway, the HG's aren't a problem here - I'm a big HG fan and grow every kind I can get my hands on. Most of them have been raised from seed.
Goldenfish - lovely geranium and that Lilium japonica is a beauty!
Here's a photo of one of my favorites growing in my "rock garden" border:
Geranium farreri
Here's one I got from seed last year:
Geranium wallichianum 'Buxton's Blue'
Those are lovely, rannveig.
rannveig--when it's time to sow HG seeds (when is that? By the way?) I hope you will counsel us on all your secrets?
I would like to divide my 'Orions' and 'Rozannes' to make more to fill in my peony and tulip garden this spring.
( I tried to divide my 'Orion' plant a month ago and all three divisions look dead now! I hope they come back.)
Weezingreens I'd read about Mrs. Kendall Clark but never met her in "person" nor seen a photo - she's a beauty!
Tabasco, I don't think I have any great seed sowing secrets up my sleeve - but I'll be happy to keep you posted on my future seed sowing ventures! I think the best time to sow HG seed is late fall or anytime during the winter (whenever you get your seeds) and put the pot outside in a sheltered spot like a coldframe (I use my cold greenhouse), Some seed can germinate without cold stratification but most benefit from it. Also it's important to cover the seed. If you sow the seed late and it's starting to warm up outside, you can put them in the fridge for a few weeks - but I generally get better results just putting them outside - I think the fluctuating temps help with the germination.
Here's another one I got from seed last year - flowered first time this year - Geranium viscosissimum
Sounds like HGs would be good candidates for winter sowing. Where's a good place to find HG seed?
Beaker, Chiltern seeds in England has a collection of their seeds. They ship here.
Thanks for the info. I have a new toy, a wireless blackberry about the size of a cigerette pack.The entire keyboad is about 2" wide. I'm shocked that I could get to DG and read and post mesages.LOL,now I can take DG with me anywhere. This is so cool. It's a laptop in the palm. of your hand, a cell phone, a pager and a walkie talkie.Geez, and I'm someone who can't even set the clock on my VCR.
