I like making my Pelargoniums into Christmas trees. I believe that this one is Crispum.
Standards
Wow that is cool! What other kinds do you grow?
:) Donna
Hi Donna,
We grow,
Helene Schoene
Black Velvet - Salmon, Appleblossom and Red
crispum
Prince Rupert
Chalimar
podavium 'Alba'
Bird Dancer
Picasso
Mrs. Pollack
Pinnacle Coral
Mrs.Cox
and a few others we can't indentify
Looks like you have some real nice ones. I'll have to look them up.
:) Donna
Outstanding!
What is your secret for such a beauty?
Corinne
ahh............THE SECRET! It's the staking. I use a metal rod that is welded to a disc that sits in the bottom of a pot. This way, the stake is always firm and the plant never goes under the stress of constant wobbling. Otherwise, just normal care for Pelargonium. I've found that P. crispum and P. crispum Variegatum are very vigorous plants anyway.
Merry Christmas! I love these! I have some leggy regular pelargonium I am going to try to standard-ize, but yours are fabulous! Consider entering this in the NE Flower Show next year! There is a class for plants trained to a standard or a topiary form. This one would clean up!
Martha
This message was edited Mar 28, 2007 9:22 AM
You definitely should enter it in and also give us instructions!!!
:) Donna
Well, first you should get some proper stakes made up. This is what the base looks like. The holes are drilled in so that the base doesn't block drainage and we have bolts welded to the bottom just to be sure that they're up a little from the bottom of the pot. Of course, the pole is then welded to the base.
Then you get a Pelargonium crispum or P. 'Prince Rupert. They both grown very quickly. The plant in the photo is a 2 y/o 'Prince Rupert'. Keep tying the leader to the pole as it grows. I use rafia to do this. You have to undo the ties and replace them every once and a while or they will choke the stem.
Shear them to whatever shape you want.
Gardenmart, you need to go to Haskell's nursery in New Bedford. You see all sorts of standards there of many different types of plants. They gave me the idea to use crispum. It's a fantastic nursery. They also sell some very nice varieties of Pelargonium. There's a great diner on the corner of that street and you can go to the chapel that has the bow of a ship for the pulpit as described in Moby Dick.
Here is an example of a popsicle standard I'm making with Pelargonium 'Black Velvet'. As the stem grows up, I remove the bottom leaves and any side shoots. when it get to the top of the stake, I'll pinch out the top and let it branch.
Look at those great dark leaves. This is gonna be fabulous. I can hardly wait........
Wowzers!! You're good!! I'm very impressed. Is the P. cripsum the one they call 'French Lace'. Luv the variegation.
:) Donna
Have you seen this one before? Isn't it goregous!
http://www.trionursery.com/storefront.php?a=edititem&c_id=0&i_id=26&i_off=
That Mr. Wren is a nice one:)
'French Lace' and 'Prince Rupert' are both names for variegated crispum (but don't quote me).
I would like to get to Haskell's. They have exhibited at the NE flower show in Boston many times. the last two years the garden exhibits were dedicated to Allen Haskell, who just passed away about a year and a half ago. I always enjoyed their work at the show.
Martha
watersedge,
Ever do business with these folks? I am thinking of placing an order. They are in ME also.
http://www.prestostore.com/catalog.php?ref=plants222&or=1064488&pg=8333
dale,
No, I haven't but thanks for letting me know about them. I'll have to check them out.
I don't even know where Hope, ME is. There are so many towns up here with so few people in each one, it's hard to know where we all are. Most people probably don't even know where Northeast Harbor is.