Uncle Marvo writes
In reply to Cat(h) ) who wrote this in
.com, I, Marvo, say :

Earlier this spring, I bought two cranesbill geraniums - not sure what
kind - which was supposed to flower blue. The foliage is very
delicate, a shade of grey-green, and it has grown most wonderfully,
among purple verbena, West of Ireland Irish fuschias and self seeded
nasturtium. But it hasn't even produced one flower.
What could be the problem?

I have loads of geraniums on the boat, all in pots or troughs. They flower
better when it's hot, and the soil is very dry because it's loose in straw
so drains really well.

Recently, the wind (or chavs) took one of my large plastic pots away down
the river. My neighbour saw it whilst returning from downstream, it had
probably gone for days, and brought it back. No flowers. I put it back on
the boat and left it, it is now flowering again. AIUI geraniums are not
indigenous to GB, and they are fundamentally mediterranean plants, so love
the hotter drier weather we're having.

IMHO overwatering is usually the problem, they don't need more water than is
provided by the weather.

I don't know why, but tomorite seems to make for deeper coloured flowers on
most pelargoniums.

It's important to distinguish between pelargoniums, which are popularly
called geraniums, and behave as you describe, and the genus Geranium,
common name cranesbill, which is what the OP is talking about. There are
at least half a dozen species of Geranium which are indigenous to the UK
- Field geranium (large plant with big blue flowers), wood geranium
(large plant, blue flowers with white centre), G. phaeum - dark purple
flowers, herb Robert (small, pink flowers, invasive), a series of small
creeping small pink flowered ones (cut leaved geranium, round leaved
geranium, etc), G. sanguineum - bloody cranesbill - large vivid dark
pink flowers, and in addition G endressii which is not native but widely
naturalised.

Not all of these like dry soils and sun - certainly the first three
don't, and G phaeum prefers dappled shade. If you have these, or
varieties of them, in the garden, they *won't* have enjoyed the hot
weather unless they're in reasonably moisture retentive soil.



--
Kay