The MGS Forum

Plants for mediterranean gardens => Perennials => Topic started by: David Dickinson on May 27, 2017, 01:20:26 PM

Title: Geranium incanum
Post by: David Dickinson on May 27, 2017, 01:20:26 PM

As far as I can see this plant has only been mentioned once on the forum, by Caroline October 02, 2015, in "Plant of the Day". I was really taken with the foliage and got a visitor to bring one over from the UK last summer. It produced 4 (I recall) flowers and then died right back having never really grown much. The extremely cold winter finished it off completely. I brought one back myself a month ago and it is already dead. Caroline notes that it is very resilient where she is.

Evidently one of the flowers from last year must have produced seed. A seedling has sprung up in a vase which contains a frost-victim succulent. So now I have a dilemma. Is it that Geranium incanum doesn't like root disturbance? Or being moved? For the moment I am going to leave it where it is and simply cut the Crassula ovata down to ground level. But any advice on where I have gone wrong to date would be gratefully received.
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: Caroline on May 27, 2017, 11:46:09 PM
Hi David

I will describe my experience to see if it is of any help.  First, I don't think root disturbance is a worry (although I can understand why you would treat your surviving seedling with caution).  I moved a similar seedling - they pop up often -this autumn, and it seems to be doing fine. My original plant of Geranium incanum was looking very sad by the end of the summer (dry spring, wet late summer).  It had a thatch of dead leaves and I thought it was on the way out.  But I trimmed it back heftily, and it is now looking delightful, fresh green foliage and a few flowers. 

I can't comment on the cold, as we might have one degree of frost once or twice in winter. I am right by the sea, which helps.   :)

Cheers

Caroline
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: David Dickinson on June 23, 2017, 09:38:40 AM
Hi Caroline,

Only just seen this reply so a very belated thank you. The foliage on mine is getting a bit burnt occasionally but with a bit of water it comes back. I am scared of overwatering it. I hope it produces flowers and hence seeds soon. Then next year I can dot them around in different places and see where it is best to grow then. This particular seedling popped up in the hottest (afternoon full sun) spot. Fingers crossed :-\
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: David Dickinson on June 27, 2017, 02:30:25 AM
If anybody reads this can you send a reply to the forum and to my personal email please. Every time I log on and go to "unread messages" I am told there are no unread messages. Has nobody posted anything at all in the last week - 10 days? :(
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: Fleur Pavlidis on June 27, 2017, 11:54:43 AM
David, I hope this problem has now been solved. Recent Unread topics has been moved to the main menu across the page rather than being squashed up and hard to get to under the member's name. Today I have found it is working so fingers crossed. Once Jon Watts has finished the new design, which should be soon we'll ask members of the Forum to get used to it and then inform us of any anomalies.
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: David Dickinson on August 10, 2020, 04:32:47 PM
As can be read in the postings below Geranium incanum hates me. I have given up. Pack of 10 seeds germinated last autumn - all died. Pack of 10 seeds sown this spring, all germinated, all long-since dead.

But Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' (1st photo) is a great success for me. My original cutting from Leeds has thrived in full sun and this is its 5th summer. A pity I can't persuade it to flower all year but it flowers throughout  spring.

I didn't expect G, 'Roxanne' to do well for me. I bought it last autumn and, surprisingly, it's growing well for me. It's in a pot placed on top of a bigger pot containing Salvia 'Amistad' and it grows in the partial shade of the salvia's stems. Sun in the morning is directly onto the plant but by lunch time it has become dappled shade.
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: Caroline on August 10, 2020, 11:02:50 PM
Sorry to learn that Geranium incanum hates you, David. My original plant  survived for 10 years (it was originally a hitchhiker with a pot-plant from my old house), but died during last summer's drought. It has however self- seeded in the gravel below it -  I have never tried to actively grow it from seed. It must like the gravel. as did my white Geranium maderense which flowered in a pot because I was not quick enough to plant it out.  I now have literally hundreds of seedling in the gravel (tidy gardeners recoil) which I am potting up to give away.
Title: Re: Geranium incanum
Post by: David Dickinson on August 11, 2020, 09:44:13 AM
Hi Caroline,

It was your original posting a few years ago that introduced me to this plant. I love the leaves. Happy for you that you can grow it and mystified why it won't grow for me. I said in my last posting that I have given up but....packets of seed are cheap and I could try with much more gravel in the soil. I have always sown the seed in a well draining mix but if I try with a gravel bed type mixture???

It can't be the heat here as this year's seedlings were all dead long before the hot days of summer arrived. I wonder if there is too much lime in the water?