This is an easy hardy geranium to grow, and it self-seeds quite readily. Some blooms are more variegated than others, and the variation may occur from plant to plant or on the same plant from bloom to bloom. Has anyone else ever grown this one?
Hardy Geranium 'Striatum/Spish Splash'
I have this one though here in MA it has come and gone. Mine has somewhat more of the dark blue splotches and I find it is taller than others of my perennial geraniums. But I love it just the same. I find its colors to be echoed by Viola cornuta 'Freckles' which I also have, but are harder to keep going than their all blue or all white cousins. I enjoyed my short visit to Seward when we came through on a cruise a couple of years ago. I have relations in Anchorage though I hear they have moved somewhat out into the wilder suburbs.
Martha
Hi, Martha. I'm glad to hear you got to visit Seward. They don't let you stay long when you are on one of the cruise ships, but I'm sure you got to see some of the beautiful countryside. We have a wild hardy geranium here that is tall and blue, Geranium erianthum, but this one is so unusual with the speckles, that people like to grow them.
I love this one weezingreens, it comes back every year in my arden, and flowers well, but never seems to make a particularly big clump, or fills out much, though as you say I love the markings.Took me a while though to realise that striatum, and 'splish splash' were the same....just a marketing ploy.
Love it too
That's a lovely one, Boots! I like that dramatic variegation. Most of mine are flecked with color, but pretty, none-the-less.
Sue, Mark was the one who told me that 'Splish Splash' and 'Striatum' are the same. We are so fond of cute cultivar names in this country! LOL! This one is certainly hardy and it self-seeds readily. I wonder if it would cross with our native, G. erianthum?
with the help of Peter Yeo, you should be able to marry those two, both appear to have 28 chromosome. I would love to see how it goes. are both flowering now.?
No, Boots. Unfortunately, G. erianthum is an early bloomer. I don't know if I could force the Splish Splash by keeping one potted in the greenhouse, but I suppose I could try. Too bad I can't get you an erianthum to give it a try in New Zealand.
I think I read somewhere that pollon will keep.so you could keep some Splish splash. and you could use it on your erianthum next year.
or I could send you some of my Splish splash next year, which would be fresh and closer to your erianthum flowering.
I've never intentionally pollinated any plants. I just sort of let them hang around together and waited for the bees to do it. I guess I need to do a little reading on this. I know that our local Aquilegia formosa is hanky pankying with some of my McKana Giants, so maybe the leap from native to introduced species isn't impossible to breach.
I have had 'Splish Splash' for 3 years in our garden. It seems to do OK, but like some of the others, I have had to move it around to find just the right spot.
I will be interested to find out how your hybridizing goes!
Well, someone has to help me here. I've never interfered with geranium romance before. I really don't know how to go about it, and how to save the pollen for crossing them at the right time. I would feel sort of like a pervy.
For a start you are going to have to perv a bit,,
I hope you will not be too embarrassed , with this pic that I hope will explain the hanky pankying
the left flower has ripe pollen showing, that has to be snipped off and kept in the fridge ..(pretend that is your erianthum)
now with your 'Splish Splash' take the pollen bits off,. cover the flower,,and when the stigma opens.. like in the right hand flower.. sprinkle on the pollen..
middle flower shows pollen on stigma.
mark pollinated flower somehow and wait for seeds.
Great pictures and info, Boots. Of course, I'll have to remember this for next year, so I'll cut and paste photo and info and file it in my 2007 garden files. Maybe I should try this with two of the G. pratense that are blooming now. Rose Queen is still blooming, as are the Splish Splash and some of the blues. When sprinkling the pollen, is it helpful to play some old torch songs on the stereo?
I am sure music and candles would help,
Don't forget the chocolate!
Perhaps some nice box wine... bottles are too difficult, no opposing thumbs, you know.
I have three G. pratense 'Galactic' that I raised from seed and on two of them the flowers have light blue freckles - so it seems that there might have been some 'Splish Splash' mixed in!
I have not heard of this one before. Here is a write up from Heronswood: http://www.heronswood.com/store.php?category=1230&item_id=01417A&row=Perennials%20%20F%20to%20H&subcat=Geranium&orderNumber=650677262 I'd love to have seeds from this one, if possible, too.
Yeah, one of the plants is a clear white - I'll try and get some seed for you :-) Ofcourse it's growing next to G. phaeum so no knowing what they've been up to this summer, lol ! ;-)
Well, I'm not opposed to a little hanky panky. Sometimes the results are impressive. If you have seeds from the one that speckled, I'd like that. It's going to be awhile before all my seeds are ready for harvest, so we'll get together for a good seed trade then.