Propagating hardy geraniums
 

I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's Blue"
and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what I read,
the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not big enough
for division - is it possible to propagate them by cuttings or by seeds?
If so, when and how?

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?

Thanks.

Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Alla Bezroutchko contains
these words:

I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's
Blue" and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what
I read, the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not
big enough for division - is it possible to propagate them by
cuttings or by seeds? If so, when and how?

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?

Thanks.

I don't know of _any_ geraniums that are hardy in the UK.

Where are you?

Eh?

Geraniums (previously :Hardy geraniums)are hardy,

Pelargoniums (still wrongly referred to as Geraniums) are tender plants

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

On 10/6/07 14:17, in article , "Alla
Bezroutchko" wrote:

I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's Blue"
and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what I read,
the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not big enough
for division - is it possible to propagate them by cuttings or by seeds?
If so, when and how?

You can propagate by division and by seed, though with seed you might get
some variation but that adds to the interest! G. Jolly Bee seems to grow
and spread very quickly.

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?

Have a look at this site:
http://www.penlanperennials.co.uk/ha...niums-c-9.html

G. Ann Folkard is one of my favourites - a fabulous magenta colour and I
really like G. Mourning Widow. That said, G. Jolly Bee is one of the best
around and goes on flowering far longer and better than G. Johnson's Blue,
IME. Depending on where you live, you could try G. palmatum and if you live
in a hot, dry climate, you could give G. maderense a go.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Alla Bezroutchko writes
I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's Blue"
and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what I read,
the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not big enough
for division - is it possible to propagate them by cuttings or by seeds?
If so, when and how?

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?
Alla.

I love them too - not least because they are so forgiving of my
catch-as-catch-can gardening, and they don't mind some shade! They do
flower much of the time, especially if you give them a good haircut
after the first flush.

Which? magazine recently had an article on them - they recommend

white

best: G. phaeum 'Album' and G. sanguineum 'Album'
most unusual : G. pratense 'Striatum'
worth considering: G. clarkei 'Kashmir White'

pink

Most interesting foliage: G. x riversleaianum 'Mavis Simpson'
Assessors' favourite: G. x monacense var. monacense 'Muldoon'
Best for flower power: G. 'Dilys'
Best for front of a border: G. sanguineum 'Glenluce' and G. sanguineum
var. striatum
Best for early flowering: G. phaeum 'Lily Lovell'
Worth considering: G. 'Anne Folkard'

blue

Best space filler: G. 'Orion'
Best autumn display: G. wlassovianum
Best blue colour/ Long lived blue: G. 'Johnson's Blue' and G. 'Brookside
Worth considering: G. sylvaticum 'Amy Doncaster', G. pratense 'Plenum
Caeruleum'

no violet or purple, but I would have considered many of those they call
blue or pink more like purple. Try google images to see which you like!

For propagation they only consider division, but you can pot up very
small ones...

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

In message , Anne Jackson
writes
The message from Alla Bezroutchko contains these words:

I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's Blue"
and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what I read,
the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not big enough
for division - is it possible to propagate them by cuttings or by seeds?
If so, when and how?

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?

Thanks.

I don't know of _any_ geraniums that are hardy in the UK.

Not only are a dozen species of Geranium native to the UK, and about as
many again naturalised, many, perhaps the majority, of Geraniums are
hardy in the UK. It's Pelargoniums, known popularly as geraniums, that
in general aren't hardy.

Where are you?


--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Anne Jackson wrote:
I don't know of _any_ geraniums that are hardy in the UK.

Where are you?

Hello Anne,

I am in Belgium.

I believe you mean pelargoniums, they are commonly called geraniums and
aren't hardy.

I was talking about geranium proper. If I am not mistaken, the common
name for it is Cranesbill. Those are hardy in the UK and in Belgium.

Alla

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Sacha, thanks for your help.

Sacha wrote:
You can propagate by division and by seed, though with seed you might get
some variation but that adds to the interest! G. Jolly Bee seems to grow
and spread very quickly.

Is there any trick to collecting and germinating geranium seeds? When is
the best time to collect them?

G. Ann Folkard is one of my favourites - a fabulous magenta colour and I
really like G. Mourning Widow. That said, G. Jolly Bee is one of the best
around and goes on flowering far longer and better than G. Johnson's Blue,
IME. Depending on where you live, you could try G. palmatum and if you live
in a hot, dry climate, you could give G. maderense a go.

Thanks for recommendations. Does Ann Folkard have a lot of flowers on
it? Mourning Widow looks like just what I need in the back of a shady
border.

I think G. palmatum and G. maderense wouldn't do very well here in
Belgium. It is not exactly hot and dry here. :)

Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Klara wrote:
Which? magazine recently had an article on them - they recommend
snipped the list of recommended geraniums

Klara, thanks. Excellent list. I have already got G. sanguineum
striatum. I'll check the rest of them.

Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

On 10/6/07 16:20, in article , "Alla
Bezroutchko" wrote:

Sacha, thanks for your help.

Sacha wrote:
You can propagate by division and by seed, though with seed you might get
some variation but that adds to the interest! G. Jolly Bee seems to grow
and spread very quickly.

Is there any trick to collecting and germinating geranium seeds? When is
the best time to collect them?

Late summer and just watch for the pods to ripen and open.

G. Ann Folkard is one of my favourites - a fabulous magenta colour and I
really like G. Mourning Widow. That said, G. Jolly Bee is one of the best
around and goes on flowering far longer and better than G. Johnson's Blue,
IME. Depending on where you live, you could try G. palmatum and if you live
in a hot, dry climate, you could give G. maderense a go.

Thanks for recommendations. Does Ann Folkard have a lot of flowers on
it? Mourning Widow looks like just what I need in the back of a shady
border.

Ann Folkard does pretty well, I think. I don't think it's as floriferous as
Jolly Bee but it's no slouch. It's low growing and spreading.

I think G. palmatum and G. maderense wouldn't do very well here in
Belgium. It is not exactly hot and dry here. :)

Alla.

We can do G. palmatum here in the garden but not G. maderense. I think good
drainage is as important for both as low frost risk.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Klara writes

white

best: G. phaeum 'Album' and G. sanguineum 'Album'
most unusual : G. pratense 'Striatum'
worth considering: G. clarkei 'Kashmir White'

pink

Most interesting foliage: G. x riversleaianum 'Mavis Simpson'
Assessors' favourite: G. x monacense var. monacense 'Muldoon'
Best for flower power: G. 'Dilys'
Best for front of a border: G. sanguineum 'Glenluce' and G. sanguineum
var. striatum
Best for early flowering: G. phaeum 'Lily Lovell'
Worth considering: G. 'Anne Folkard'

blue

Best space filler: G. 'Orion'
Best autumn display: G. wlassovianum
Best blue colour/ Long lived blue: G. 'Johnson's Blue' and G. 'Brookside
Worth considering: G. sylvaticum 'Amy Doncaster', G. pratense 'Plenum
Caeruleum'

no violet or purple, but I would have considered many of those they
call blue or pink more like purple. Try google images to see which you
like!

For propagation they only consider division, but you can pot up very
small ones...

Not on this list, but I can't remember the species - there's one which
has pink flowers with purple veins, flowers in abundance about 1cm
across, and another which is white with dark veins, flowers about 1.5
inches across - really nice for taking a close look at, whereas most
hardy geraniums are best for just providing a mass of flowers and
attractive foliage.

G endressei is excellent for sheer toughness (pink flowers)
--
Kay

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

"Alla Bezroutchko" wrote in message
...
I have planted some hardy geraniums - "Jolly Bee" and "Johnson's Blue"
and I love them and want more of them in my garden. From what I read,
the usual way of propagating is division. My plants are not big enough
for division - is it possible to propagate them by cuttings or by seeds?
If so, when and how?

Another question, can anyone recommend white, pink or purple hardy
geraniums? Now I've got blue ones, I want other colours too. Do they
really keep flowering all through the summer?

Thanks.

Alla.
The two you named can only be done from cuttings or division, there are a
number of methods for doing it but I have found cuttings work best early in
the season and in a mist unit. seed is ok only for the species or when you
do not mind what you get!
The flowering period varies from plant to plant but nearly all the better
known geraniums are great garden plants and I do not think I could cope with
out them as they are also good ground coverers.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

Charlie Pridham wrote:
The two you named can only be done from cuttings or division, there are a
number of methods for doing it but I have found cuttings work best early in
the season and in a mist unit. seed is ok only for the species or when you
do not mind what you get!

Thanks, Charlie. I suppose I'll have to stick with divisions.

Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

"Alla Bezroutchko" wrote in message
...
Sacha, thanks for your help.

Sacha wrote:
You can propagate by division and by seed, though with seed you might get
some variation but that adds to the interest! G. Jolly Bee seems to grow
and spread very quickly.

Is there any trick to collecting and germinating geranium seeds? When is
the best time to collect them?

G. Ann Folkard is one of my favourites - a fabulous magenta colour and I
really like G. Mourning Widow. That said, G. Jolly Bee is one of the
best
around and goes on flowering far longer and better than G. Johnson's
Blue,
IME. Depending on where you live, you could try G. palmatum and if you
live
in a hot, dry climate, you could give G. maderense a go.

Thanks for recommendations. Does Ann Folkard have a lot of flowers on
it? Mourning Widow looks like just what I need in the back of a shady
border.

Ann Folkard is indeed a very good plant but it is unusual for hardy
geraniums in that it scrambles around. You end up with bits poking up among
neighbouring plants, up to a metre away. It is derived from a cross between
?? G.psilostemum (I think; probably forgotten/got that wrong) and G.
procurrens (probably got that wrong too). The former has big vivid purple
flowers with dark centres for ages and the latter spreads and is invasive.
The hybrid Ann Volkard has the big vivid flowers and they keep going all
season and spreads out but is not at all invasive. In fact, we found it
hard to propagate; we had to divide it very carefully; maybe divide one
plant into 2 every second year. It looks GREAT growing among yellow
Crocosmia or as a pot plant where it will send flowering shoots quite a
distance away. It has lots of flowers and for ages but they are spread out.

Des in Dublin (with Ann Folkard in the front garden; having moved it with us
from our last 2 house moves)



I think G. palmatum and G. maderense wouldn't do very well here in
Belgium. It is not exactly hot and dry here. :)

Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

"Alla Bezroutchko" wrote in message
...
Charlie Pridham wrote:
The two you named can only be done from cuttings or division, there are a
number of methods for doing it but I have found cuttings work best early
in
the season and in a mist unit. seed is ok only for the species or when
you
do not mind what you get!

Thanks, Charlie. I suppose I'll have to stick with divisions.

Many Geraniums divide very very easily. If you want to try out dividing
with a very forgiving plant, dig up a well established Geranium early in the
season (say late April) and you can end up with dozens of little plants.
Those that divide easily are even a little invasive (nothing nasty but they
like to spread out).

Des



Alla.

Propagating hardy geraniums
 

In message , Des Higgins
writes
Ann Folkard is indeed a very good plant but it is unusual for hardy
geraniums in that it scrambles around. You end up with bits poking up
among neighbouring plants, up to a metre away. It is derived from a
cross between ?? G.psilostemum (I think; probably forgotten/got that
wrong) and G. procurrens (probably got that wrong too).

Nearly right. Yeo ("Hardy Geraniums") gives it as G. procurrens x
psilostemon. The identification of the pollen parent is based on
opportunity and appearance, rather than more direct evidence.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley