Geum sport, can it be propagated?

[maggiepie]

I have a Geum Lisanne that is a single yellow, it currently has a beautiful frilly double flower and am wondering if there is a way to propagate the sport?

The same plant had one double flower last year too.

Here's a couple of pics.

[mark smyth]

Not wanting to burst your bubble ... I think all flowers would need to be double on the plant. We see extra petals appearing on Iris, Crocus and Galanthus.

You could try removing the part of the plant that does this

[maggiepie]

Mark, I realize there's only a very slight chance of getting a rooted cutting from the stem.
Was just wondering if anyone had grown geums from cuttings and if so, how.
I would also like to know how clematis sports are propagated, there must be a way as sports are named and registered.
Much easier with a hosta I suppose :-)

[mark smyth]

My book says propogate Geums by division or seeds

[maggiepie]

Bummer.

Well, there's nothing to lose so might as well try to root a piece of the stem.

[mark smyth]

Why not lift the whole plant and remove stem base of the stem with double flowers. Make sure roots at present, cut off the top growth leaving a leaf or two and pot it up

[maggiepie]

Why not indeed!!
Will see if I can manage that tomorrow.

[Lesley Cox]

You are unlikely to get anything from the flower stem itself to root but if you can follow it back to where the stem joins on to somthing else, a main shoot of some kind, and trim it just below that, you may get it to root. It still may not be the double which eventially flowers though. Can't hurt to try.

[David Pilling]

I've read that "honorine jobert" which is white was a sport of the pink Japanese anenome, it is 150 years old and I've always wondered how it was propagated. Now there are web sites which tell you how to do tissue culture at home...

[maggiepie]

Lesley, I decided to mark the stem and lift the plant after it has flowered.
Should be easier to follow the stem.
It's such a tease getting the double flower twice.
I did notice a couple of double flowers on a white rivale last year.


David, I have seen those home tissue culture kits, am afraid it is a bit beyond my capabilities.

[Tim Ingram]

Helen, I'm not sure how the Geum sport could be propagated but there are quite a few others like this. A friend in our Hardy Plant Society Group, Sue Martin, has a National Collection of Geum and has written a booklet on them for Plant Heritage. She would love to hear about your plant I am sure and may be able to proffer advice from her own experience. You could find more details on the Plant Heritage (NCCPG) website.

[maggiepie]

Hi Tim, I have read Sue's book, unfortunately I had to give it back.
Some wonderful geums in there, unfortunately again, not many of them are available over here.
Would love to get in touch with her, will see if I can get her email address from the site.
Thanks.