Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: maggiepie on January 04, 2012, 05:19:51 PM

Title: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: maggiepie on January 04, 2012, 05:19:51 PM
I found this seedling half out of the ground late Autumn so decided to dig it up and bring inside for the winter.
Yesterday I found this.

Not sure what the seed was, I think it was G. subcaulescens.
A nice winter bonus for sure.
Am trying to hand pollinate with some G. nanum pollen.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: razvan chisu on January 04, 2012, 06:07:14 PM
Nice color Helen
Did you store the G. nanum pollen, or did you also bring it inside?
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: maggiepie on January 04, 2012, 06:35:46 PM
Hi Razvan,

I have a couple of nanum inside too, I don't think it would be hardy outdoors but I have left one in the garden this winter.
Luckily, one of the nanum seedlings has been flowering for the past few weeks.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: Lesley Cox on January 04, 2012, 11:53:01 PM
I should have a little seed available in a few weeks of Geranium papuanum if anyone is interested. It's a brute to harvest. The little seed spears are green today and brown and popped tomorrow. I brought some browning ones inside on Jan 1st, into a plastic margerine pot and put another unsidedown over them with just enough space to let air circulate. They popped their seeds OK, right out of that little sliver of space. I've only found 2 seeds. But there are many more spears to ripen.

G papuanum is a very low, creeping species rooting at the stem nodes. It is likely not fully hardy though. I've never lost it complately but it has been damaged in two harder winters over maybe 15-18 years. In the UK or Europe it would maybe need an alpine house or winter preotection anyway. But it is very beautiful and floriferous and flowers here for about 8 months. Easy to propagate from the runners. If I saved the seed for the exchanges, it would be a full 12 months old before anyone received it so it seems sensible to offer it here. Will update in a week or two.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: fermi de Sousa on January 05, 2012, 08:23:55 AM
What a sweet thing, Lesley,
I'll send you a PM
cheers
fermi
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: John85 on January 05, 2012, 10:15:31 AM
Lucky you Helen,
None of my G.subcaulescens sets seeds.
Try to cross it with G.cinereum;it definitively works.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: John85 on January 05, 2012, 10:56:44 AM
Lesley
Some geraniholics advice to cut the very top of the spear to have a little more time to harvest the seeds .I found it not very effective.A cylinder cut out old nylon stockings closed with a string at both ends works for me .Not very beautiful in the garden but it is much easier that way.
As it is tricky to"glide" the stem into the stocking,I have made a kind of coil with a wire 20 cm diameter,40cm long to keep it open.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: Maggi Young on January 05, 2012, 11:08:59 AM
Lelsey: water the carpet.... you'll find the seedlings as they grow!!  ;D ;D ;D

John85: What a clever idea for the harvesting. That would work for other plants as well, I think.  8)
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: maggiepie on January 05, 2012, 01:06:55 PM
Lucky you Helen,
None of my G.subcaulescens sets seeds.
Try to cross it with G.cinereum;it definitively works.

Hi John,

This wasn't from my seed, was from one of the seed exchanges last year. Have never seen seeds on my G. subcaulescens either.
Found little seed on any of them last year.
 :'(
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: Lesley Cox on January 05, 2012, 07:59:33 PM
Lelsey: water the carpet.... you'll find the seedlings as they grow!!  ;D ;D ;D

John85: What a clever idea for the harvesting. That would work for other plants as well, I think.  8)

Well I'm certainly watering it Maggi (pot actually) and I hope to find seedlings in surrounding pots in due course but I can't send them away. However, I'll also sort something like John's idea. Some years there have been no seeds at all but this year there seems to be a (potential) bumper crop.

Also very pleased to see there is a (potential) bumper crop on Asteranthera ovata. I've hand-pollinated each flower and many more are coming, much earlier than last year. Already the little pods are curling stiffly down and beginning to swell. Too early for requests yet ( ;D) but I'll keep you informed, in the appropriate thread (Gesneriaceae).
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: John85 on January 17, 2012, 03:03:38 PM
In the 2010/2011 seed distribution there was a geranium Perdida n°1876.
What were your results please?
May be somebody can show us a picture of this mystery geranium?
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: maggiepie on January 17, 2012, 05:26:17 PM
John, sorry to say I had no luck with germination from the seeds I received.

 :(
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: maggiepie on January 23, 2012, 07:39:44 PM
Had a nice surprise a few minutes ago, found my second G. nanum like this.

Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: daveyp1970 on January 23, 2012, 07:49:06 PM
That is very nice Helen,lots of pollen on it as well.
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: mark smyth on January 23, 2012, 08:29:39 PM
Yesterday I noticed my libani x pelloponesiacum, now called Solitaire, has started to flower. At least three months early
Title: Re: Geraniaceae 2012
Post by: John85 on January 24, 2012, 09:15:39 AM
Mark
A picture Pleeeeease if possible.
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