Tell me about Hardy Geraniums...

I just bought some "Johnson's Blue" and "Splish Splash" bareroot hardy geraniums and my local big box store. Do I need to soak them for 24 hours in water like you do with a bareroot rose before I plant them? The instructions on the box weren't much more than "dig a hole, plop it in and cover it"!

I would just follow the instructions on the box.

I agree. Be sure you keep the growing media uniformly moist, and use a good fertilizer; geraniums are hungry plants. Being in Alabama, you can overwinter them and take cuttings for new plants next year, as well.

Lasas, If you have some used plastic nursery pots, you might want to plant them in there to baby them for a while, let their roots establish in the pots, don't stress them out with full sun. Then you can set them in the garden later. Johnson's Blue has beautiful flowers, the plant has a habit if sprawling on the ground as it get taller. When it gets untidy I just give it a "hair cut". I don't do anything with mine over winter and it just comes back in the spring.
Splish Splash, I don't have any experience with that one so I will refrain from commenting on it's habits.

I would just plant them. I have over a dozen different hardy geraniums, including Johnson's Blue and Splish Splash, the Johnson's Blue can get leggy later in the season. They are both very dependable plants, that seem like they can survive most anything. I don't fertilize mine at all, and they just keep on going. I don't know how you'd go about taking cuttings, I have never done that with mine. You can collect seeds from the Splish Splash and grow more plants from them. The Johnson's Blue is sterile. No need to worry about doing anything to overwinter them. They are hardy here in IL, so you won't have any problems in AL!! They do seem to do better in if they are not in full sun. Mine are all in partial to full shade.

Deb

Like Momcat, I have many of them too, they are wonderful plants and to gt more plants to place elsewhere, just gig up a clump after 2 years and divide them, you just pull away the outer roots from the clump and stick them in the soil, do this after flowering has passed in summer, UK mine flower april May so by July I would split mine up, Also after the first flower each year, if you take a knife, scissors etc and cut the plants back, they will send up new foliage and flowers, they are great little plants and as said by all the others, very easy to grow. Mine seem to grow brighter in colour when spreading growing under taller plants that all day hot sun. Good luck. WeeNel.

Thanks, all. I will hopefully have some pictures to post later on!

momcat:
Johnson Blue can't be sterile since I bought seeds and started plants 4 years ago. They set seeds like any other geranium does.
I also have Splish Splash, which I bought as a plant. Vision and Striatum are 2 others I have.

They do best if given morning sun and shaded from hot afternoon sun here in Wyoming. Require regular moisture and some humus in the hole before planting. I trim mine back for repeat blooms later.

Anytime I buy bareroot plants I always pot them up first before planting outdoors. That way they have a good rootball when planted. Once actively growing, I plant them in my garden.

They are easily divided since they form small rhizomous roots.

Caption. This is G. pratense 'Splish Splash' in mid June.

Here is the Johnson Blue I started from seeds.

Go here if anybody is interested in Hardy Geraniums http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/953892/ Seems like it could be a good deal.

blomma I love the "Slish Splash",where did you ever find it? I want some like that!!!!!!!

synda:
I think I bought it in Walmart a few years ago. You may check Home Depot if you have one near you. I think I saw them offered there also. With the 4 varieties I have, I should save and sow some seeds. They will not come true, but I may get a completely new variety from those seeds. They more or less bloom at the same time.

Check out some of the online plant companies. You may find them there.

Here is another one I like, and also from Walmart. This one is G. sanquineum 'Striatum'

And G. sanquineum 'Vision'

This is from PlantFiles on Johnson's Blue:

Seed Collecting:
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/154/

Deb

That particular check box often confuses people...it can be checked if 1) the plant doesn't set seed, OR 2) the flowers are sterile, OR 3) plants will not come true from seed. While there certainly are some things out there that are sterile or don't set seed, probably most of the time that box is checked because the plant is a hybrid cultivar and won't come true from seed.

Thank blomma It is just gorgeous!!!!!!

Synda, I got mine at Sam's Club. It was a variety pak with Johnson's Blue and Splish-Splash.

Thanks Lalasland we have one of those and my girlfriend is a member.

.momcat:
I own you an apology. I just remembered and I was wrong. I bought Johnson Blue from Walmart. The geranium seeds I sowed were G. 'Vision' . So maybe it is sterile. I will check this summer when it blooms to see if mine sets seeds. I know my other ones do. I should plant the seeds to see what I get. I know they don't come true from open pollinated seeds but, hej, I may get something unique. Will be fun to try.

The photo is 'Vision' the one I sowed from seeds.

No reason to apologize. I know I've seen people offer Johnson's Blue seeds for trade, but I have never seen them offered commercially. I know mine doesn't set seed. I have praetense seedlings popping up every year, but have never had a Johnson's Blue seedling, so I believed what I had read about them.

Deb

Thanks for all the info on these geraniums. I found some overgrown at my church and divided them, they seem to be doing ok...didn't realise how many flowers were on your plants, hopefully the ones I divided will look good. Do you feed them anything special??

geraldine87
They flower beautifully. My plants are cover with blooms. All I do is water them. My geranium grow with morning sun. WY's sun is too hot for them during the afternoon since we are so high above sea level.

After they bloom, I cut down the blooming stems to the ground and trim the rest back. They are easily divided since they have sort of creeping stems, almost like Irises but much smaller. Just break or cut off a piece that has roots and stems and replant, keeping it moist and shaded until established. I have never tried cuttings but may this summer to experiment.

I have open pollinated seeds from G. 'Vision' that I sowed in Feb. They came up and now have 6 healthy plants. I am curious to see what I will get if they cross pollinated with the others I have.

Not all perennial geraniums are hardy to zone 4. So I am limited to varieties. Most are hardy to zone 5.

By the way, I lived in Gt Barrington, MA for 20 years during the 70's and 80's before moving to the Midwest. Geraniums should grow great MA. They should be able to take full sun there. I never grew them while living there although I gardened a lot there too.

Thanks blomma, I did divide them easily enough, just like I do the hostas and it worked out well, just would like flowers like yours!!
Will cut back spent blossoms and enjoy the new flowers...