This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does anyone
think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or will I have to
get them all the flowering size first?

If anyone thinks they might be able/willing to spot them, I'll photograph
the seedlings (mostly at the 4-6 leaf stage at present) and stick them up
on the web.

Oh, I'm also growing geranium macrorhizum czakor - or I am trying to, they
don't seem to want to germinate! Is this geranium a slow developer, or
have I got a duff batch? Sowed them at the same time as the mixed lot and a
pack of another named variety, both of which are well up by now.

In message , Victoria
Clare writes
This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does anyone
think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or will I have to
get them all the flowering size first?

Yep:-) And you may even need to go beyond that and look at the ripening
seeds to be really sure. If you're really keen to try and identify
them, see if you can get hold of 'Hardy Geraniums' by Peter Yeo which
gives details of a multi-access key that uses 11 different
characteristics for identification of the different types.

If anyone thinks they might be able/willing to spot them, I'll photograph
the seedlings (mostly at the 4-6 leaf stage at present) and stick them up
on the web.

I'm getting good at recognising herb robert (and pulling it up!) but
otherwise I wait and see. With the number of geraniums I've got crosses
often occur, some of which make good plants.

Oh, I'm also growing geranium macrorhizum czakor - or I am trying to, they
don't seem to want to germinate!

Yeo's book says most need a few months of after-ripening before
germination is possible - and even then it can take place over an
extended period. There's one variety that even needs exposure to fire
before it'll get going! Keep hoping:-)

Jill
--

http://www.bellsbarn.demon.co.uk
(Gardens, geraniums and photographs)

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does anyone
think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or will I have to
get them all the flowering size first?

If anyone thinks they might be able/willing to spot them, I'll photograph
the seedlings (mostly at the 4-6 leaf stage at present) and stick them up
on the web.

I think if you know what the range is you might guess one or two. Some
types, for example, have more divided leaves than others. Do you know
what types your mixture is made up from?

Janet G

Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson wrote in
:

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does
anyone think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or
will I have to get them all the flowering size first?

I think if you know what the range is you might guess one or two. Some
types, for example, have more divided leaves than others. Do you know
what types your mixture is made up from?

Alas, no. It's a 'leftovers mix' from Chiltern,I think.

Ah well, I shall just have to plant as many as I can fit in, and dig up any
I really don't like or that are in the wrong place later.

Victoria

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson wrote in
:

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does
anyone think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or
will I have to get them all the flowering size first?

I think if you know what the range is you might guess one or two. Some
types, for example, have more divided leaves than others. Do you know
what types your mixture is made up from?

Alas, no. It's a 'leftovers mix' from Chiltern,I think.

Ah well, I shall just have to plant as many as I can fit in, and dig up any
I really don't like or that are in the wrong place later.

there's quite a few of the big blue field geranium in that. Suggest you
make a point of growing on some of the smaller seedlings - possibly more
likely to be interesting species. And don't throw away the remains of
the seed compost - keep it in a cold place over winter and you may get
more germinations next spring
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson wrote in
:

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

This year I'm growing a lot of hardy geraniums from mixed seed. Does
anyone think there is any hope of identifying the young plants, or
will I have to get them all the flowering size first?

I think if you know what the range is you might guess one or two. Some
types, for example, have more divided leaves than others. Do you know
what types your mixture is made up from?

Alas, no. It's a 'leftovers mix' from Chiltern,I think.

Ah well, I shall just have to plant as many as I can fit in, and dig up any
I really don't like or that are in the wrong place later.

Victoria
I have some of the Chilterns Perennial mix which you get with a second
order. I've had a few hardy geraniums germinate and they have quite
coarse, relatively undivided leaves. My guess, based on the theory that
it's likely to be something fairly common and fairly robust and on the
fact that the leaf isn't divided enough for Geranium pratense, is that
it's Geranium sylvaticum. I'm unlikely to be right and only time will
tell!
Perhaps we can compare notes in a year or two's time.
Janet G

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
Any tips for spotting ones that are likely to do better in a shady
location, other than 'try them and see?'

Small leaves and things that look like herb robert seem to prefer sun.
Large leaves that don't look like herb robert and don't have red stems
are worth trying in shadier spots (if you have more than one plant!)
As to the rest ...!

There's also a strange bright green rubbery one with red undersides to the
leaves, which is already showing signs of reaching for the skies.

Like a giant herb robert??

I've got that. IIRC it tends to die in winter and reseed itself, but I
may be getting muddled.
Jill claims not to recognise it, but the original came from her.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 17:24:16 +0000, Jill Bell
wrote:

I'm getting good at recognising herb robert (and pulling it up!) but

Is that the one with small pink flowers that self-seeds like mad and
is taking over my front garden with terrifying speed and efficiency?


Martyn Tindall
Leeds, England, United Kingdom

(To reply, please remove "spamfree.".)

Kay Easton wrote in
:

There's also a strange bright green rubbery one with red undersides to
the leaves, which is already showing signs of reaching for the skies.

Like a giant herb robert??

I've got that. IIRC it tends to die in winter and reseed itself, but
I may be getting muddled.
Jill claims not to recognise it, but the original came from her.

At the moment, rather more rubbery than Herb Robert, and leaves not so
finely divided. I shall watch with interest to find out what it will turn
into.

Thanks for the tips on ones to try in some shade: I have a number of part-
shaded and dappled shade spots where I am hoping some of these may fit, and
I certainly have plenty of spares to experiment with!

Victoria

In message , Kay Easton
writes

Like a giant herb robert??

I've got that. IIRC it tends to die in winter and reseed itself, but I
may be getting muddled.
Jill claims not to recognise it,

I don't remember saying that:-)

but the original came from her.

In that case it's probably G. rubescens (biennial, slightly tender and
like a *mega* herb robert, in its ability to seed everywhere and grow
**big**!) Other similar ones are G maderense and G canariense but they
are more tender.

--

http://www.bellsbarn.demon.co.uk
(Gardens, geraniums and photographs)