Geraniums - tell me more

[MaggieW]

I really want to grow some big pots of the Geraniums next summer that bush up and out - not sure of the variety - as saw them at a friend's last summer and they were spectacular. They had a smaller flower than the trad. ones but looked great. Can anyone advise what variety they might have been and whether they will come back each year? Also are they best grown from seed or from plug or plant? TIA.

I can't help on the variety, but I grew geraniums from seed this year and it was really easy.
In fact I had the best results (100% germination) from Wilkinsons own brand seeds which were also a fraction of the price of 'branded' seeds.

If they had smaller flowers they might have been what's known as "Swiss" geraniums, which do look spectacular in window boxes and tubs.

I have never had much success with growing geraniums from seed ( to ajumpeduppantryboy) but if you need a lot of plants then the mail-order offers on plug plants are often good value.

MadBadandCoveredinTinsel - I didn't have high hopes as I thought they would be difficult.

They did take a long time tho' - I started them in the conservatory and they were there for weeks, then they went int the potting shed, then the greenhouse.

Then I had so many I had to give them away!
I'm overwintering them in the potting shed now, so I may even get a second year out of them.

aJumpedUpPantryBoy

I was when you mentioned your success with the geraniums (when I tried, I got about four weedy plants which never flourished - maybe sown too late). Anyway, then you mentioned

your conservatory

your potting shed and

your greenhouse

Yes,I thought the same!!!

Sorry
I just read my post and it sounded a bit boasty.

I didn't mean it like that. After waiting for 20 years DH and I have bought our dream home and the greenhouse/conservaotry/potting shed were my 3 dream items and I know how lucky I am to have them.

If you were anywhere near me I would gladly shower you with geraniums!

I could list all the things that I can't grow if it will make you feel better!

AJUPB - You're done nothing to apologise for. I didn't think you were being boasty. It's just that you conjured up such a wonderful (and enviable) image of pottering in your conservatory, potting shed and greenhouse with your home-raised geraniums that it made my propagator in the spare bedroom and plastic greenhouse from B&Q seem rather inferior!

And anyway, shouldn't you be growing gladioli?

at gladioli - DH says that as well.

Until 2 years ago I had a windowsil and a plastic greenhouse and I have to admit I am having such fun with my garden now.

Mind you, I have become addicted and can't pass the gardening section in any shop without buying something. I keep reminding myself I am meant to be growing veg and my plants from seed to be saving money, but somehow I seem to be spending more than I am saving...

I have a similar problem with garden catalogues, but one has to invest in the tools of the trade. DH calls my RHS magazine my garden porn.

Go on then. I can take it. Tell me how big your garden is.

Garden porn sounds about right (is it wrong that I hide my catalogues from DH?)

We have three quarters of an acre garden. About one third is vegetable garden, one third is garden - grass and flower beds but quite cottage gardeny (or unplanned and higgledy piggledy) and the final third would be best described as wild a real mess.
It looks lovely today as it is blanketed in snow - hides a multitude of sins

Ahh. That reminds me of one of the Vita Sackville West books where she talks about having a small vegetable garden of a quarter of an acre.

I don't hide my catalogues but I take them up to the bathroom, to be enjoyed while I wallow. The ultimate me time.

My favourite is greenhouse porn. I'm not sure I actually want to buy a greenhouse, because then I'll have to stop reading greenhouse catalogues.

My favourite sort of shop is a 'pointless garden object shop'. Whenever we see one, the whole family has to dive in straight away!

Had to link to Wootens for Pelargoniums (proper name for potted geraniums), they have a lovely range
www.woottensplants.co.uk/pelargoniums.html

Thanks Pannacotta, that's exactly what I was looking for - they're gorgeous!

No probs .
I bought Lord Bute and Black Prince from Wootens last year, they were stunning and flowered all summer right into the autumn.

i don't want to sound pedantic but there are geraniums and pelargoniums. as far as i can make out from the gardening books they are not interchangeable.The Ps are the large flowered ones that live in pots and are frost sensitive they are happy with a good watering but in normal warm weather only approx. once a week.
our 2nd home is in mid france and i look at the french pots of Ps and they look better than mine I have been told that the french people feed them specific feedI have bought some and will report back on the success or otherwise of the feeding.
The Gs are delicately flowered and some of them are happy in the flowerbed all year i have some with gorgeous rose scented leaves and pink flowers that i keep in pots and take in in winter they are also very easy to take cuttings from and grow on as are all Ps and Gs. Sorry to go on i hope i didn't sound show offy.

OOps i made a mistake! the rose scented ones are also pelargoniums.

yes, ppeat, you're right I think. these are pelargoniums.

And these are geraniums.

Geraniums are herbaceous perennials while pelargoniums, in this country are generally treated as annuals, although you can overwinter them, and I keep them as houseplants too.

Yes, all that is true, but in common parlance people often call pelargoniums geraniums. It's usually clear from the context what they mean and when they're novice gardeners looking for help it seems a bit picky to correct them.

ppeatfruit - if you're comparing French and English-grown pelargoniums, the difference may also be due to different light levels and temperatures.

I have both. And I am not boasting as apart from nasturtiums that is about all I manage to keep alive!

Wootens of Wenhaston is great... have you seen their Day lilly collection too (sorry, Latin name escapes me this evening). And their comments on plants is very helpful. I've booked quite a few postal deliveries and they have all gone down really well - very good quality plants and efficient delivery.

I've got lots of geraniums in the garden - they can cope with the general appauling ground condiitons (4" 'top soil' where its particularly deep, over solid clay. Looks more like a pond sometimes. Then cracks and becomes as hard as concrete in the summer. I can garden in the front garden about 3 weeks per year - other times either too wet or too dry.

Trailing geraniums often bush out, have smaller flowers and look great in tubs. They're the ones that are traditionally used in window boxes on Swiss chalets. And I know that they are really pelargoniums, but everyone calls them trailing geraniums!

Day lilies = hemerocallis.

I knew it began with H but couldn't get beyond helicrysum!

Is this like a game of scissors, paper, stone? RHS card, wine bottle, err, cupcake. Anyway, I think wine bottle wins!

Glad I'm not the only Mnetter who likes Wootens and gibbering about plants generally!