Geranium Traversii Elegans, information wanted

[maggiepie]

I grew a few of these plants from seed and the first one has gifted me with a flower. We are having some cold nights at the moment and have already had one frost.
Am wondering if anyone knows how hardy these plants are, am thinking of bringing one inside for winter, the foliage is really lovely and the flower is nice too.
I'd hate to lose them as I am unlikely to get any seeds.

[mark smyth]

It comes from Australia, New Zealand and PNG so they may not take to your zone4. They do OK in zone 8

[Maggi Young]

It comes from Australia, New Zealand and PNG so they may not take to your zone4. They do OK in zone 8

 


So would they survive as a house-plant over winter, Mark?

[maggiepie]

Mark, are they herbacious?

[mark smyth]

Not as a house plant Maggi because light levels wouldnt be high enough.

Magpie they are evergreen

[maggiepie]

Thanks Mark, I will bring in at least one for winter and see what happens, I don't have much to lose.

[Lesley Cox]

In New Zealand, so far as I know they are native only to the Chatham Islands, off the east coast of the country. Although the climate there is savage in some respects with wind and rain, I doubt if it is as cold as many parts of the mainland.

[Lori S.]

They do OK in zone 8

 
(From the perspective of gardening in zone 3, that almost seems like a given!  )

Coincidentally, I grew these from NARGS seed this spring and have a couple outdoors too.  I have not been graced with flowers though.   With Geranium magniflorum (for example) surviving here, it becomes hard to judge what is likely to be a good bet and what isn't.  As always, it will be interesting to see what spring brings.
(NB:  Being evergreen isn't necessarily the kiss of death - even in a normally patchy, discontinuous snowcover zone 3, the foliage on many evergreen plants does survive to spring; others that are evergreen in milder climates may die to the ground here but they are able to regenerate in spring.)  

[mark smyth]

Yeo says "it is easily lost lost in severe winters and through winter damp" Farrer said it will root from flowering stems that are finished and fall over touching the soil. I have found it short lived and havent bothered with it for years

[maggiepie]

Lesley, I will bring at least one indoors and hope that one might survive outside, perhaps the snow cover will help.

Lori, good luck with yours, I do hope you get to see a flower. My second plant has a bud at the moment,maybe if you have a close look at yours you might see one too.
My seed also came from NARGS .
The colour of the foliage reminds me of G Argenteum.

Mark, thanks for the hint re rooting a flowered stem, I might try that.

[Lesley Cox]

Yesterday while collecting a Camellia 'Cornish Snow' from a local garden centre (to replace the large one from my garden of 20 years ago) I saw a new form of Geranium traversii, probably a hybrid with the little dark leaved G. sessiliflorum var nigricans, in the first place, but subsequently selected. Can't remember the name but I'll go back and get one. The flowers are the usual pink but the leaves are very dark plummy purple and large, compared with other forms. It is extremely handsome.

[rob krejzl]

Lesley,

G. traversii x sessiliflorum 'Purple Passion' ?

[maggiepie]

Lesley, I hope you will post some pics if you manage to get the plant.
I have a few seedings from G. sessiliflorum var nigricans but the leaves are a mid bown  and the  flowers are white and insignificant. I would love to have a plant with really dark leaves.
I think I had at least 6  seedlings that I planted around and it's really interesting that one made a really nice little clump pretty quickly but most of the others are still tiny plants.

[maggiepie]

Rob, do you have a pic of G. traversii x sessiliflorum 'Purple Passion' ?
I just googled it and only saw one and the leaves  were so dark I fell in lust!!

[rob krejzl]

Maggie,

Just took this, with some persicaria as a guide to size and colour. Sorry about the quality - I'm visually challenged .