Geranium

[James R.]

I was just posting some pics of my favorite rock garden Geranium plants. Geranium pratense from 'Midnight Reiter' one that I have selected out to be mildew resistant on the West Coast. So far so good no mildew on these ones, but all my true to type are cut to the ground right now because they where all white from the mildew. The other is Geranium 'Chocolate Candy' growing in a crevice.

[McDonough]

Geranium 'Chocolate Candy' has nice concise dark foliage, a winner to be sure.  Is it also a G. pratense hybrid selection?  I believe it is important to choose plants that are unaffected by disease, mildew, and viruses, so seeing a hybrid like "Chocolate Candy' this late in the season with foliage looking so nice, is testament to the plant's foliage virtues.

[James R.]

I am sorry for the confusion I wrote it was 'Chocolate Candy' in the picture. This was actually suppose to read "my" breeding selection from 'Chocolate Candy' my Original 'Chocolate Candy' while nice does not grow as robust as this selection. Now I will answer your question it is not a G. pratense hybrid it is a G. sessiliflorum subsp. novae-zelandiae 'Nigricans' Hybrid or G. traversii hybrid.

[Hoy]

I was not aware that cranesbills got mildew?! It is not a problem here.
Your second plant is a winner as Mark says, regardless what the name is. What does the flower look like or is it better without flowers?

[James R.]

The flowers are smaller than the leaves and are a very light pink/white that stand just above the foliage. Mildew here on some of the Geraniums gets real bad while others dont seem afected. Geranium 'Rozanne' doesn't get any mildew here but most G. pratense hybrids do. It usually only happens at the end of the season. Some Clematis here get it bad as well in late September.

[Kelaidis]

I love Geranium pratense 'Midnight Reiter' not only for its wonderful foliage and flowers, but for its delightful habit of popping up seedlings here and there, some of them seemingly even smaller and cuter! Some, however, are greener and these go into the compost heap!

I have a great fondness for Geraniums that was stoked by my recent visit to Robin Parer's amazing Geraniaceae in Richmond, California.

I brought back a bevy of exciting new geraniums I will be anxious to watch this coming year (especially the African ones)...but it will be hard to beat the gold standard, which is Geranium dalmaticum. I imagine 90% of the Forumists grow this. It is taking up way too much room in my rock garden (the picture only shows one of the masses quickly gobbling up space) but with wonderful flowers in June like this and scattered bloom through summer, and then the gorgeous fall color in late autumn through early winter, it has to rate very high. I doubt I will be removing much of it this year either!

I obtained what looks rather like this from Wrightman nursery as Geranium sp. Halda: I hope it will be a more compact dalmaticum, but time will tell...

[maggiepie]

I love hardy geraniums, I think they are my most favourite plants.

James, your Traversii cross looks fantastic, hope you post more pics when it is flowering.

I would need a huge van to visit Robin Parer's nursery and a bank loan, I would have to have a few of everything!!!
Wish she would move to Canada!!

[Hoy]

I can tell you, Kelaidis, that I do not grow G. dalmaticum, or at least not to my knowledge! Not that I don't want to but I haven't got hold of it yet
I try to establish different species of cranesbill in my garden so dalmaticum is on my list!
Here's one unknown seedling:

[Lori S.]

Here's another very good and diminutive rock garden geranium... Geranium farreri.  

With rain-spotted petals:


Close-up:


However, I guess it's obvious from these photos that I don't actually have it in the rock garden!  As we build on to the alpine beds this year, I'll have to think about moving it or propagating it (probably the better notion of the two).

Here's another cute little thing... which I had mislabelled in my album as G. farreri, but now I see that it isn't.  I'll have to figure out what it really is... [Edit:  It is G. cinereum 'Alice'.]

[maggiepie]

Be still, my beating heart!!
Lori, your G. farreri is beautiful and so is the other one.
Is the bottom pic, G. rothbury gem?
Both are at the top of my wish list.

If not rothbury gem, maybe, G. alice?

[Lori S.]

I'll try to collect some seeds of G. farreri for you this year, Helen.  Seems I usually miss it but I'll make a better effort!

RE. the second one...
Good call - it does look like G. cinereum 'Alice', doesn't it?  Definitely not 'Rothbury Gem' (unless it was mislabelled, as I have no recollection of that name.) I'll have to browse my maps and records a bit more to confirm 'Alice'.  (I'm having trouble recognizing in which bed the photo was taken, right now.)

Helen, please show us some of yours!  I know you have a fabulous collection!

Here's G. cinereum 'Memories'... again, not in the rock garden ( ) but probably a reasonable candidate for it.

[Lori S.]

Yes, Helen, you are right about it (below) being G. cinereum 'Alice' - well done!  Looks like I bought it in 2008.

[maggiepie]

Lori, both Alice and Memories are beautiful.
I have never seen either of them offered around here, I think I am living in the wrong place for sure.
Would love some G. farreri seeds if you can grab some.

Btw, did your traversii make it through winter last year?
Both of mine bit the dust, I suspect I will lose a lot more this winter, it was such a wet Autumn with lots of freeze/thaws.

Here's a couple of my G. nanums, both grown from seed.

[Lori S.]

G. traversii (var. elegans in my case) didn't winter over for me either.  Oh well, it's always worth a shot.

G. nanum looks really nice and very tiny.

[Booker]

Geranium in the Dolomites