Could anyone recomend please a medium sized geranium that will grow almost anywhere (including dry shade) and that retains its foliage over the winter providing valuable ground cover.?
I like these plants but only have G. x Oxanium 'Clairidge Druce'. Which although it does all of the above things is very vigourous in my garden and is in danger of taking over. As a result it has been largely removed to the wilder areas od my garden. I am looking for a smaller alternative to replace it in my more formal borders. Flower colour optional.
Many thanks.
Johnson blue is a nice one, but not sure if it is evergeen
Geranium maccrorhizum alba certainly grows in shade and sometimes doesn't die down completely. Also thrives on neglect! It has been in a north facing border for about 10years, has had brambles etc growing through it - and been choked with couch grass but has put up with everything and survived, never been fed. Just looked at it and it is about to flower, pink buds fading to nearly white as the flower opens, it will as usual look beautiful.
Oh dear this post makes me sound as though I don't look after my garden!
I've got quite a few different ones but don't know their names as bought as fairs etc. I think I have a phaeum (not sure of the spelling), a Johnson's blue which is lovely. All mine are in leaf at the mo and have been all winter I think. They have dead flower stems which lay flat on the ground so don't spoil the look of the plant unless you get close. I trimmed them off yesterday. The foliage is lovely, green and shiny and the leaf shapes are varied. I rate them very much are they are unfussy about soil and position. I notice one growing in deep shade.
just to say thanks for replied so far. i am letting this topic run for a bit and see what comes up before i make proper reply or make any decisions.
Have a look through Hardys cottage garden web site they have quite a few geraniums listed, and from experience their plants are really good quality.
Quote from: heritage on April 23, 2005, 09:58:21
Have a look through Hardys cottage garden web site they have quite a few geraniums listed, and from experience their plants are really good quality.
Just had a look - thanks. One or two possibles there.
I would recommend Hardy's too, they are not far from me and we go regularly.
On advice i had a good look around on Hardys and a couple of other plant sites. Inspired i popped into EBAY to see what was for sale on there in the way of geraniums and found a couple of 'macrorhizum' (sp?) types one magenta pink the other white. I decided to put i bids as the price and postage were reasonable.
Dont know if I'll get them of course but I had the money sitting there in paypal (from my seed selling venture), so i thought 'what the heck, go for it!'
I will still keep looking and if anyone else has any different ideas, please add a message to this thread.
Thanks to all who replied.
Good luck with the bidding, I have been getting some realy nice plants off ebay recently. The trick is to put a bid in for the maximum of what you want to pay taking postage into account and sit back and wait. Don't be tempted to pay over the odds, another plant will come on later. We have had some excellent irises and hemerocallis just lately, also some new variety heucheras which might be a good alternative for your geraniums.