Lea I had purchased the insanely priced geraniums from t&M this spring and out of 3 packs of $6-$8 seeds each containing a very small amount (about 5 each) I have only 3 geranium from them and they all came from the one pack that was a mixed hybrids pack. One hasn't bloomed which I would expect ... but the problem is the other two did and they look like weeds! I was so mad that I spent about $20 (plus shipping) on geranium seeds and ended up with weedy looking things! Hopefully the one that hasn't bloomed ends up pretty, it's leaves remind me of the 'Alba' or the one that looks like a miniature 'NH Purple'. Any one thinking about ordering those seeds, You are better off getting plants at the nursery. These seeds cost the same as two plants and the plants get big reasonably fast.
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This message was edited Aug 12, 2009 1:39 PM
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #38
Yep Meredith I've been thru the whole experience of getting the geranium seeds from T&M a few times with no success either I've never seen the hardy geraniums here we don't have anything good here in plants. I did have a good friend on here send me a couple of plants last year and another girl from Austraila sent me the seeds to the JJ. Why do geraniums have to be such a pain to get them started from seed lol Just having 5 or 6 seeds doesn't help! I ordered those pretense mix seeds, may have misspelled it and got all purple but they all germinated and those are weedy looking to me and didn't like them either I pulled them all up but I think I have some that reseeded this year in a couple of other beds I'll find out next year I guess because they are big now but no blooms yet but they aren't weedy looking this year that's why I'm wondering what they are lol Last year I planted a geranium that they said was hardy no zone in reading about it then found out it was for the higher zones so I sent it to blueglancer it was going to die here anyway but after all of growing it then come to find out it didn't grow here! AND I had sent a few to someone else on here that lives in z6 too so they lost them! Thank goodness it wasn't a trade just extras.
Bluestone had a good selection of hardy geraniums in their catalog. You should check them out in late winter / early spring. They always have a 15% off sale for early orders. Every nursery here has at least 3 to choose from. One that's a little further away has at least 9 types. So I decided I will just pick up some plants next year. A lot of times I will go early and get the marked down stuff that they got to overwinter. The plants always need to be planted immediately and are really pot bound but I just split it up into 2 or 3 pieces and they usually do well after. I'll try checking for some deals in spring.
Does anyone know which Hardy Geranium is good and will reseed a little?
I Just bought soem more perennial geraniums seeds from Jonna on the Dg market place. She got abunch of other ones too and soem other neat stuff.
I don't know about reseeding, but I've had wonderful growth from 'Biokovo' and 'Rozanne' hardy geraniums... 'Biokovo' is pretty easy to propagate by removing crowns (which sometimes come away with little layered roots already in place) and potting them up. I haven't tried to propagate my newer 'Rozanne' plants yet.
Too funny, I was just mentioning Bluestone and I found a new catalog from today's mail. Does anyone grow 'Brookside'? They have it in there and it says good for cottage gardens. I am thinking that might mean they seed around a little.
Critter thanks for the help, I have a Jolly Bee and I can hardly tell it apart from Rozanne when I see them side by side at the nursery. They look very much alike. Jolly Bee is totally sterile and I'm pretty sure I saw in a catalog Rozanne is too. It's funny because most people don't want them to seed around but I do. The other one is cute but I want one with flowers about the size of Roazanne. I have a lot of large flowers they have to compete with and the smaller flowered ones I grew from seed kinda remind me of those anyhow.
Any one know anything about the one called New Hampshire Purple? I really want a bluish purple color and that one is more pink purple.Maybe I'll have to get one of the Pratense species from Lazy Ss Farm, I am pretty sure those will set seed.
Meredith, I saw NH purple at a nursery recently, and it was practically identical to geranium sanguineum (no cultivar), only I thought the sanguineum was slightly nicer. I have several different wild geranium/cranesbill, and they only rarely seed themselves. I tried rooting cuttings of phaeum this summer, but they only rotted. I haven't tried with others yet, but I did manage to collect a few seeds of one - I think a tall pale pink one. You have to bag the heads, because as soon as the seeds are ready, they get shot off like projectiles. I can send them to you if you want them. I don't have room for more of those.
What's the name of the nursery with 9 varieties?
I don't know, but I do know there was a co-op opportunity earlier this year with Geraniaceae. They've had good reviews, and their selection is unreal. GW page: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/148/
Wow, thanks critter! I don't know how I could have missed them in my searches. But too bad they don't have pics. It'll take quite a while to go through that list. I bought g. cinerium "purple pillow" earlier this year - loved it, but a month of rain just after planting killed it off. Now I'll have to order from these guys, as it's on their list.
Thanks perenniallyme, I think I am going to just get plants but thanks for the offer! : ) The nursery that had a lot is this one http://lakestreet.com/ It would be a bit of a hike for you though. I'm sure you have a ton of great nurseries much closer to you.
Critter I participated in a co-op once and I've decided they aren't for me but thanks for the info! : )
Well I checked out that website, boy do they have a huge selection! I see they only have a minimum of 3 plants. That's not too bad. I was thinking if it was a co-op it might be one of those large orders only type places but I see I was wrong. Thanks for the link Critter. It was funny I was looking through and noticed what they say about Jolly Bee http://geraniaceae.com/bin/detail.py?id=87
Okay well I found at least 4 I want so far. This was one of the ones I ordered seeds of from T&M - http://geraniaceae.com/bin/detail.py?id=199 No germination though! I am so sad. Just wanted to show it to you guys so you can feelmy pain of paying $7 for seeds and getting nothing out of it! Please learn from my mistake and just buy a plant! It's tha same price anyways! : )
Right, it's only that I first came across them when they vended a co-op for us... and they ended up doing it as a discount deal where they handled the shipping. I ended up missing the ordering window for the co-op but might treat myself to some plants from them next year. Shipping is high to me since I'm on the east coast, but I can get plants from them that I can't find elsewhere, and they really have had some glowing reviews.
I like that G.psilostemon, Meredith. Let us know what you end up ordering.
Thanks, I will let you know. I had the ones I got from the T&M mixed seeds ID'd on the plant ID forum and they are this http://www.robsplants.com/plants/GeranPyren.php Looks like I should try and get some seeds if any one wants some. I still have one plant that I won't know for sure what it is but after looking at that Rob's Plants page he has just about Hardy Geraniums and their leaves and flower pictures I am sure it is a Geranium pratense. Now I just need to wait to see which color. : )
Am I the only one that thinks this weed is pretty http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/lotuscorn.html I have one that I've been allowing to grow in a bed and I just think it looks so pretty. It is like a sprawling ground cover with bright yellow and showy flowers. How come this one isn't grown on purpose? The flowers look just like the individual flowers on a lupine to me. It blooms forever too. Am I crazy to leave this thing in my garden?
Meredith, I tried to get a start of one of those from the roadside once! I think its a sweet plant, and since I don't see it growing all over, I don't think it would be weedy or invasive in the garden. If you harvest seed from it, save a few for me!
I've had a few weeds over the yrs that i have let grow and bloom because i thought they were pretty.
That one is too, Meredith.
I was chatting with my neighbor yesterday, Both of us commented on how our gardens are not as pretty as they were last year.... what we are missing is -- Zinnias and Marigolds.
We really are having a "dry" year and those seeds just did not germinate, and what did - are puny.
We both said we will get the seeds out there earlier next year.
Meredith I know the Pratense is the one I planted that I didn't like after it bloomed and I pulled it up and it reseeded before I got it up maybe I should have kept it because it's not so stragly coming up from reseeding it was like one of the wild geraniums that was all sprawled out and I just didn't want that look but the ones that reseeded are in a bush like it's suppose to be so maybe I should have let it grow until this year but I don't have any blooms on any of the reseeders yet and I have four or five of them around not where the plant was growing though plus all the ones I planted out of the mixed seeds were purple I wanted some different colors.
I just went out and counted how many reseeded and I have a total of ten of them but no blooms yet to make sure what it is lol
That weed is pretty Meredith! I had a yellow one in the field come up this year in a big patch not the same as yours it was about 2' tall at least I waited for it to go to seed so it would come back with more of them for next year I missed the seeds to it but it turned brown before I mowed it down. It had small flowers at the top of one stalk on one plant I never saw that weed in the field before and this was a big patch I don't know how I had missed it but I'm going to watch for it next year again. Then I saw a pretty pink weed about 2' tall in the woods next to me but the weeds were so tall I didn't want to go in it becaue of all of the darn ticks this year I've had enough on me for the year lol
This message was edited Aug 14, 2009 10:38 AM
When I see something blooming under harsh conditions and looking lovely in contrast to its neighbors, I've gotten in the habit of considering its garden usefulness. I recall reading somewhere that the definition of a weed is simply something growing where you don't want it. When considering introducing a wildling into the garden, I'd recommend using a bit of caution, as I'm reminded of my most recent experience with this. I love the native Ironweed, which is full of royal purple blooms on 9' stalks in the garden (and the fields around) right now. However last year I allowed them to go to seed, and when I cut the dry stalks off last fall, they flew everywhere! I've pulled hundreds of them. As soon as I see the first bit of browning, those heads get whacked this year!
Neal -- i'm doing the same with 4-O'Clocks... OH and English Marigolds... .i'm dead-heading like crazy.
Meredith, I grew that T & M gerainum too from seed. It was sweet but did have the look of a 'weed' or a wildflower for me. In the right (woodland) garden it would be nice
I grow both 'Jolly Bee' and 'Rozanne', and for me Jolly Bee is slightly different, a little more robust, for one. I like it, but seldom see it in nurseries. I propagate hardy geraniums by division. I'm not so good with the seeds, especially of the hybrids.
English Marigolds, that's Calendula isn't it? I've got tons of seedlings of those, and a bazillion seed heads- I've been considering just shearing back the whole clump. How are you doing the 4O'clocks? There seems to be seeds, buds, and blooms all packed together at the ends of the stems, I guess you're pinching out the individual faded flowers?
Here's some of my Pot'o' Golds from the Piggy Swap. Thank you!
Here are some of my 4 o'clocks from the Piggy Swap. Love them!!! They just started to bloom, need to take a picture tomorrow.
This was the first year I had calundula reseed and there were only a few so it was no problem. Same thing with the 4 O'clocks. I think I had 2 volunteers and since the ones I started on purpose have been real slow-pokes I was glad to have them. The one I'm a little concerned about is the cerinth I planted this year. As I stated before it's been reseeding like crazy which thrilled me as I really liked the plants. But I've already had a dozen volunteers this year and I'm wondering if their reseeding will be problematic next spring.
Gourds: This is the first time I've grown them and I'm wondering how to tell when they're "done." Will they "go bad" if I leave them on the vine too long? I've got to tell you I've gotten the biggest kick out of these things. I planted 2 different types.....snake gourds and the birdhouse gourds from SW. I saw the little tiny gourds forming and figured they had a ways to go. But when I bent over to pull some weeds I looked into the neighbors yard on the opposite side of the fence and Holy Mama! There's one 'snake' at least 2 feet long and one birdhouse that's almost ready for a family of bald eagles! Now I have to sneak over into the neighbor's yard every day for gourd inspection. LOL!
Neal -- yes on the ENglish Marigolds [that is just easier for me to spell] I've just been snipping off all the spent heads .... but i've noticed seeds are still falling in the bed.
as for the 4-O-clocks... where i do not want them to send volunteers... i literally snap off the branches. they grow like weeds for me anyways... what i've broken off will be re-grown and blooming within a months time.
Thanks everyone! I will try and save the seeds Gemini, I was thinking that would be the safest way to allow them to grow. I had looked them up on the USDA sight and they were listed as noxious so I thought they might be too invasive for a garden. Glad to hear they aren't as we have similar climates. They don't look like they would be, they kind of look like a loose ground cover, where I never put mulch done this year I am appreciating the way they are giving the bottom of the bed some green and yellow color instead of just looking at the dirt. : )
Tcs it's so weird that you are having a drier summer than normal I am complete opposite here, we've had the most rain that it set a new record. I got some Zinnias started about a month later than I had wanted. They are all starting to grow nicely now. I have a few blooms. They are almost ready for a picture. I started those the same time that Tab was asking if it was too late to start stuff. Looks like it wasn't, although they probably won't make it to setting seed. I'll just need Zinnia seeds from our next swap. : )
Tab and Lea thanks for sharing all your experiences with the Geraniums, I still have no idea which one I want. Maybe I'll just get more JOlly Bees if I see them. I got mine last year at HD at a really good price.
Great job Lynn and Lala! : )
I pitched a bunch of calendula seeds on the corner of my front yard by the drive and like you Neal I'm considering just taking my grass shears to them there are so many seed heads on them but I love saving them to pitch in other areas the next year I have a lot of yellow with my yellow snaps too on that corner and it just brightens it up so much. The one year everyone wanted those piggy back calendulas I planted some and had a couple mixed in with them this year but can't tell which ones were like that on the seed heads or I would have saved the seeds to see if they would be like that for next year I didn't have any of them last year to reseed. Most of my calendulas are the Radio and I just love those I had seeds for two more different kinds this year that I bought but never pitched them out.
One of these days I'm going to get me some seeds to that Jolly Bee, that one is blue isn't it? I have one geranium that pouts in the early afternoon sun that I'm going to have to move I think and some of the leaves are starting to turn a bit yellow but I don't really have a spot to move it for now I just hope I don't lose it before this fall it's just getting so hot out that I feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust lol I think it's the Biokovo geranium someone mentioned that one on here but can't remember who it was if you read this tell me where you have yours planted what kind of sun? This is the first year it has gotten big but I'm afraid I'm going to lose it.
I got some rex begonias at the nursery this year does anyone know if those seeds are good? I want to try and grow some of those for next year I've saved a couple of pods so far but took them off kind of early because it was dropping them like crazy guess those weren't pollinated I'm waiting on them to dry to see if there are seeds in them. This one is a redish color with blue/green in the leaves it's my favorite one! My house will be too cold this winter to try and take starts off of it or to bring it in the house since I keep the heat down so much.
LeBug, I have hardy geranium biokovo and it seems to like it where it gets afternoon shade. I think full sun is often too much for hardy geraniums... It's also planted next to a sidewalk so that it gets pretty good drainage. A very nice plant.
Jolly Bee is very nice, but I wouldn't call it true blue. More like a nice lavender blue, same color as Rozanne, really. It's a hybrid so I don't know if it makes true seeds. I'll have to watch mine and see. I like it.
t, I was thinking that where my Biokovo is that it was getting shade around 1:00 and after but just went out and looked and the sun is still on it it's almost 3:00 now I'll move it this fall or when ever I get done killing grass beside the house. I have another geranium that I got at the same time as the Biokovo and it's a Bevan's Variety and it's in mostly shade and it does good I got the two mixed up with the names but I think I have them straightened out now lol
Thanks t :)
I think that Bevan's Variety grows well even in full shade. At least mine does.
Does anyone have experience with geranium cinereum? I bought a "purple pillow" this spring and just after I planted it, it rained for a month and the cinereum died. I just loved it (very briefly) and would like to plant it again, but not if I'm going to kill it off. I know it's supposed to like good drainage and more sun than my other geraniums, but how little sun will it tolerate? I'm wondering if it would have survived had there not been record rain.
Lea, you can allow Rex begonias to go dormant in winter. Just moisten the soil when it gets dry, - the cool temps and lower light and humidity typically keep them dormant. I don't know if they produce viable seed or not, but its doubtful the seedlings would look like the parent if they do sprout.
My hardy begonias (B.grandis, I think) look to be producing seed pods; being a species I think they would be suitable for saving. Have any of you saved and started seed from Hardy Begonias?
if you gonna try and grow hardy begonias from seed, be prepare d to be in for along wait. Regular begonias take forever and the hardy even more so. It better with begonias to do cuttings and get them rooted. it very hard to try and keep begonia seed from molding and dying before it cna even have a chance to sprout.
Finally tons of rain and more rain. Gotta love atropical depression even though it means ya off the puter so much. : )
Lea I am pretty sure Jolly Bee is sterile, so is Rozanne. I haven't been able to find any seeds on it.
Ella, I'm glad to hear you're getting rain finally. I may try collecting some hardy begonia seed in case anyone wants to try it for the next swap, although for my own propagation I remove the little bulblets that occur where the leaf meets the stem and stick those in the ground.
Here's the begonia that I was wondering about the seeds must be sterile they dried up to nothing and I know they would have been pollinated the bees were all over them:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/150259/
I may try to bring it in the house I'm just afraid it will be too cold in here for the winter but if they would go dormant in the winter that would work I think thanks Neal :)
Yes Star the begonias are a pain to grow! I grew the one from T&M 'Fire' I think and have lost them because I didn't know to water from the bottom now I'll know for next year lol I g rew the hardy begonia last year 'grandis' I think but lost it I guess because of all this rain we got this year.
Oh Merdith why do those plants have to be sterile! My seeds off of the Jester's Jacket are starting to add up :) I may have some of those for the swap :)) How many should I put in a pack I'm up for suggestions. 15? That's a good number don't you think those germinate pretty easy. Mine were two years old and had no problem germinating them.
We're getting ready to have storms today I'm getting ready to try and get in town and out before it starts but it sure looks spooky outside right now getting all dark and it feels like rain already it isn't suppose to start until this afternoon I just know that weather man is right and I have until this afternoon to get back LOL
My momma cat just brought a baby blue tailed skink to the front door without a tail! I took it from her and am hoping it was just playing dead and threw it into my flowers out front! I want my baby lizards!! lol
For those of you who are unaware.... Jill [our critterologist and her DH ] have some wonderful news....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1028942/
I'm sure she wouldn't mind others sharing in her Joy.
Oh wow! I have been so busy with gardening and canning in my spare time I missed all of Critter's posts..I knew she was expecting, but had no idea the circumstances! How exciting!
I have been collecting seeds as they have matured..I have larkspurs, poppies, hollyhocks, "tinkerbell" flowering tobacco and a few others.
Does anyone know how to tell when rudbeckia seeds are ready for harvest?
I have some 'cherry brandy' that I am waiting on for a trade, as well as for the swap, and I have to admit that I have never collected seed from these before..I assume the seeds are going to be in the "cone" part..am I at least right on that? LOL