Tuesday, March 02, 2010

More Geraniums!

I am not sure geraniums like to move.  Six years ago I moved Geranium Magnificum and Geranium Sanguinimum Lancastriense Striatum, three of each to my present home.  They each came up the following year, and I thought yeah!, they've made it.  However, for the past several years they are languishing, putting out a few flowers and then going to sleep for the season.  I even moved Magnificum again last year thinking it didn't like where it was.  It had no flowers last year, but I left it alone planted in between Rozanne.  It is supposed to bloom earlier than Rozanne and it is much taller, so I thought it would be a good pairing.

Magnificum did beautifully at my previous home, short bloom time but really spectacular flowers and wonderful red foliage (if cut back hard after blooming) in the fall.  Lancastrriense Striatum is low and ground hugging with beautiful pink flowers blooming throughout the spring and summer.  It is very restrained and contained, no weaving, no mounding acting more like a groundcover.  It seems to have taken but certainly not not growing by leaps and bounds.  It is not happy!  These are both wonderful geraniums, highly recommended but not flourishing at my home.

I think it is important to note that no matter how much we think we know about plants we cannot always understand how to make them happy.  I will try again this year, or maybe they will suprise me and finally accept their new home!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Eileen, I am really surprised that these hardy geraniums are not behaving as they should for you. This is of no help whatsoever, in fact you probably do not wish to know, but I have never experienced any problem with growing or moving any of them. I give them normal garden soil and usually part sun, part shade, and cut them hard back after flowering to ground level. They do then put on new growth within a week or two and stay with fresh leaves and the odd flower until the end of the season.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Yes, I know Edith. I am not sure what is going on. I have other varieties that are doing just fine. Magnificum gets part sun and is interplanted with Rozanne. If it doesn't work this year I might consider buying new plants.

Eileen

allanbecker-gardenguru said...

Glad to read that another gardener understands the meaning of "happy" when explaining why plants do, or do not, flourish.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Kind of like personification such as writers do all of the time with animals acting, talking and dressing like people.

Plants sure do speak to us!

Eileen

Larry said...

Good morning... you may well have answered a question for me. Many years ago I planted a geranium that wasn't labeled... it is a one time bloomer and has done marvelously well for me... in fact, I gave away three huge clumps this past fall... it sure does look like magnificum... I'll post a couple pictures on my blog in a couple minutes and would appreciate your thoughts .... thanks, Larry

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What pretty ones! I'm always looking for new geraniums. I've never tried moving one before. 'Wargrave Pink' reseeds all over the yard. Do any of yours reseed like that? My geraniums all grow in fairly dry conditions and seem to thrive in it.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Catherine, I do have one that reseeds everywhere but it is not totally true to the original. Some I keep and some I get rid of.

It is called Max Frei, I probably should talk about thisnext because I do like it.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Larry, you can just send it to me on email - on the profile area.

Eileen

Larry said...

Oh thanks... but I already posted it... Larry