cranesbill geranium Bill Wallis ?

What's the best method for germinating these?
Do I need to stratify first?

thanks in advance
mj

I usually sow 'Bill Wallis' in September at temp.18~20C.
The germination starts about ten days .
No stratification is needed.

Tomtom

Well, when I didn't hear back on this I just did the "coffee filter method" and stuck them in the fridge. Out of 10 seeds 8 sprouted in 6 days in the fridge then I transferred them to jiffey peat pots and they are taking off....so I guess ok for a guess...............
Thanks for your input tho...I'll remember that for next time...although it was my first experience w/ the coffee filter thing or sticking seeds in the fridge to germinate..and it worked out ok........

I just transplanted a tray of Bill Wallis to cell packs yesterday. They germinated easily under lights and came up rapidly. My basement temp was in the lower 60's, but the lights add some heat.

mjsponies,Weezingreens,

Thank you for the usefull infos.
I understand that there are many sowing times for many climates.
Here is my Bill Wallis today.

Tomtom

cool! yup the damp coffee filter in baggie in fridge worked for me...so I'm trying some other things w/ baggie method both in and out of fridge...all but one seed germinated and they now have their second set of leaves.
I'll have to keep them in part shade down here.

What healthy plants, Tomtom! Geranium pyrenaicum do not seem to winter over here, but I've decided to grow them as annuals, since they bloom the first year. I want to try some in baskets this year.

Weezingreens,

G.pyrenaicum is the first year bloomer in my climate,too. But it does not oversummer here. So I grow it as an annual just like you . Luckly its seedlings
might often be expected.
I tried to plant them in hangingbaskets ,but their roots were too vigorous to be grown in them. I plant them a little too few in containers.

A container in which Bill Wallis and Campanula patula were planted is shown here.

Tomtom
What size basket were you using? I was kinda thinking of doing the same thing and hanging them under my oak trees. Here is Florida alot of things that say full sun do better if they have a bit of shade at least during the middle of the day in summer.

mjsponies,

I usually use this one.
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/Tomtom_1144661144_521.jpg

It's too hot to grow the plants in hangingbaskets in summer here .
So I don't make baskets in hot summer.

Tomtom

Wow!!!! those are cool! where do you get those? I've not seen them here.
I was thinking of a wire basket w/ coco liner.
I may put some in clay pots around the garden too.

Our summers are quite the opposite here. They are so mild in temperature and so moist, that full shade plants can be grown in full sun. Most of my most successful perennials are grown on the south side of my house because it has the best sun. Plants that are spring bloomers and die to the ground in hotter climates will continue leaf growth all summer here. Many of the perennials considered 'short-lived' are long-living here. I have bleeding heart and columbine that are at least 15 years old. Of course, it also means that many plants that could survive our winters do not do well here because our short season does not give them a chance to bloom.

mjsponies,
Sorry these baskets are available only in Japan.

Weezingreens,
I am crazy about Campanulaceae family. But in my climate they are pretty difficult to grow. I always envie your climate.LOL

Tomtom

You probably wouldn't envy my climate when we have one of those summers that never get above the 50's F. The last two summers were like that here, so I'm hoping a bit more warmth this year. Yes, the campanulas do very well here. Here's a picture of G. pyrenaicum from my yard a few years back.

Weezingreens,

Beutiful!!
Let me post mine.LOL

wow!! gorgeous! and I love the that container too!!!

That's a wonderful basket! It gives me a much better idea how they look in a pot.

what's the small white flower in w/ it?

mjsponies,

That's Primula malacoides.It's at its best here now.

Tomtom

ummm, don't know how they'd do in Florida. I've got some old wicker baskets I'm going to use for the Bill Wallis so that I can move them to more shade later in the summer. I hope they do alright here they are so pretty.

Do you think the P. malacoides would do well here in Alaska, Tomtom?

No,Weezingreens, I'm afraid it wouldn't do well in your zone.
It is so vulnerable to cold winds even in my zone.

Tomtom

That's probably a good thing... I grow too many plants already!

Tomtom: Wow, what a stunning wall planting! Love it. Is all the white the primula you mentioned above?

Hemophobic
Yes it is.

Tomtom

How lovely!

50 degree summers, Weezingreens, do you mean global warming hasn't made it to Seward, Alaska yet?

A smart friend of mine said Alaska should expect global change rather than global warming, and our 50's summers might become the norm. I'm 62, so I hope it waits until I'm dead and gone. I'd like to have a little warmth for at least a couple months out of the year.