Geranium palmatum /canariense

I've always had loads of this lovely plant and it just seeded around and I always had a few to give away. But last winter has seen every last one off. I thought there would be seeds that would begin to emerge but so far, nada.
Has anyone else had this experience with them.
I've never been quite sure which type they were, big, bright pink sprays of flowers and a slightly shiny, lobed leaf, anyway.

 

I think I grew Palmatum some years ago.

I never had it self seed and although it grew a few years I think one winter saw it off.

I tend to prefer Maderiense, which might be slightly more tender, but the flowers are really something else.

 

Sorry Madahhlia - I don't know palmatum. I am growing some maderense, but I regard all these exotics as non hardy in Yorkshire.

Pete - how long does it take maderiense to flower? Mine is a good size now and in its second year, but has no inclination to flower yet.

 

Geranium palmatum at Heronswood

I have now bought some palmatum seeds and might get a maderense plant as the photos I've seen do look fantastic. Also, I gather they might be happy in a somewhat shaded spot - is this true?

 

Madahhilia, I grow maderiense in full sun, but I think it will tolerate some shade.
I've taken the plunge and planted out my now one and only plant, but I intend to give it at least some protection next winter.

Peter, I've found flowering is variable., a bit like echiums in that respect.
Give them good feeding for a couple of years then when they reach a decent size go over to high potash in late summer.
Flowers should form the following spring, but the plant may well die afterwards, sometimes they branch but become untidy.
You can take side shoots as cuttings.

 

Thanks Pete. That's new info about high potash in the autumn before - I'll try that.

I understood that they died afterwards - so I am reconciled to that. At the moment I am growing more from the one packet of last year's seed. They are extremely easy from seed, but I will try a cutting. The problem, of course, is space to overwinter them.

 

Overwintering space is always a problem Peter.:WINK1:

 

How about keeping a small one potted overwinter and planting it out in spring. Would that work seeing as they get to be big plants?

 

Madahhlia - the problem is I am not sure when they will flower. I did keep a small one potted over winter, and then planted it out in spring. It then turned into a big one but didn't flower. So I had to pot it up and overwinter it again. And just in case I lost it, I had three or four more similar sized ones to be overwintered. Then to ensure a continuation (because they die after flowering), you have to grow several more the next year and then overwinter them as well.

Sometimes I think its a good thing that plants do die - I need the space. :D

 

I think maybe I'll stick to the palmatum that has a good chance of overwintering outside!

 

Maderiense is not a biennial, it monocarpic (well not truly).

You can up to a point force it to flower in a particular spring once its reached a good size, but its not guaranteed.

I find a 12in pot will work, if you keep going up in size you will delay flowering, but you must feed and water well.

I also tend to think that by late autumn the plant has decided if it will flower or not the following spring, as, as soon as it resumes growth after the winter the terminal flower stalk forms in the head of the plant, stopping any other type of growth apart from side shoots.

 

Thats a good point about a small pot - Pete. Mine are in huge pots, so I may have delayed flowering.

I was interested in Hurstwood's comment on Brugmansias on UKEG. He is breeding and growing over 60 Brugs in pots. And although they are potentially huge plants, he keeps a lot of them in surprisingly small pots. He said that if you feed them and water them well, they will flower just as well as plants in large pots, although they do remain smaller plants.

 

Sorry this is about 12 years late! But I have experienced exactly the same phenomenon with geranium palmatum you buy a plant it grows very well it self seeds around quite merrily and the whole caboodle just disappears all the seedings you dig up just don't grow main plant and other siblings just don't grow and disappear very weird ? Maybe they don't like growing in the same place or something like that?.