Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a gardener and that I have a passion for pelargoniums (commonly known as geraniums), particularly the ivy type. They are such beautiful plants and there are a few hundred different varieties, so it's easy to get carried away with collecting! I have around 50 different kinds, but thought I'd write this post about my top ten....
10. ACAPULCO
Acapulco is in the family of cascading geraniums that have slightly different characteristics to the traditional ivy geraniums. Cascades are more heat tolerant, and can take temperatures up to 40°C without suffering like traditional ivies do. They also have thinner stems, less waxy leaves and the flowers only come in a single petal form. However, they make up for this by their sheer abundance of blooms, which far exceed any of the other varieties. Given the right fertiliser and sunny position, you will struggle to see any foliage through the flowers! Acapulco is my favourite of the cascades (which also come in red, plain pink, and white) as its pink colour is very striking and is beautifully contrasted with a white centre. It looks simply stunning in a tall pot or hanging basket, with its leaves and flowers all cascading over the sides (see example below).This photo (used with permission) belongs to one of our GAPSWA members, Kylie Goater, who is a very proficient grower and seller of geraniums |
9. HARLEQUIN PICOTEE AND ZEEBRA LEE
Ok so I'm cheating a little bit with squeezing what is technically 11 geraniums into my top ten - but these two are fairly similar so I thought I could get away with it!
Harlequin Picotee has a semi-double flower that is white with pale pink edging. There is a bit of a love story with this one that I must tell - a few months after I joined the Geranium and Pelargonium Society of WA (GAPSWA), I spotted a cutting of it lying on the raffle table at one of the meetings. I immediately fell in love and hoped against hope that my name would be called out early in the raffle so that I could get it! Alas, it was not to be, and another lady whose name was called out before mine got it instead. I didn't give up hope though, and managed to find out what the name of it was so that I could track it down from somewhere else. I got in touch with one of the GAPSWA members who I had been told sold Harlequin Picotee, and happily she had a plant of it available that I bought off her at the next meeting. I waited impatiently for a couple of months until it finally flowered, only to realise when it did that it was not Harlequin Picotee after all! It had been mislabelled, an easy mistake to make. I contacted the lady I had bought it off, who apologised and said that she would bring me another at the next meeting (another month away!) So finally, finally, after about 4 months of waiting (it felt like a long time to me, ok), she was mine. And here she is:
My only gripe with Harlequin Picotee is that she is a rather leggy grower and so it's necessary to keep pinching new growth back and pruning regularly to maintain a more bushy appearance. But she has a long flowering period and is rather unique, so we can forgive that.
My only gripe with Harlequin Picotee is that she is a rather leggy grower and so it's necessary to keep pinching new growth back and pruning regularly to maintain a more bushy appearance. But she has a long flowering period and is rather unique, so we can forgive that.
Zeebra Lee is similar to Harlequin Picotee in terms of colour - she is also white with pale pink edging, but the flowers are very double and have a rosebud form. There is also sometimes a green pip in the centre of her flower which provides another factor of interest. Being a very frilly double, the flowers last for quite a long time, and there is a fairly steady stream of them over most of the year. Zeebra Lee is a bushier and stronger grower than Harlequin Picotee so pinching back isn't required so much, however regular pruning will keep her looking healthy and producing an abundance of flowers.
8. THE BLUSH
The Blush has potential to go higher up my list as she gets bigger because she has that one quality I am a sucker for - her flowers are pale pink. For now though, I only have two little plants of her and they got a bit neglected over summer so haven't been looking the best. The other thing I like less about her than her similar counterpart, Elsie Hirt, is that she has very delicate stems and they are a bit leggy in comparison. Hence her position at number 8. BUT what she does have over Elsie Hirt is her gorgeous rosebud form and white centre (which is quite unusual for ivy geraniums). I'm excited to see my plants grow bigger and how they will look then.
7. ROYAL LAVENDER
Royal Lavender is the only geranium in this list that you can get at Bunnings - all the others are fairly rare and you would only be able to get them by joining a geranium society like I have. Usually when a plant is common it reduces its appeal to me, but in this case no - it is a simply amazing performer and that fact cannot be ignored. I have Royal Lavender planted in the ground next to the entrance to our backyard gazebo (a position that doesn't get a lot of sun) and it just flowers and flowers and flowers, no matter the weather. It has been eaten by caterpillars, sucked by thrips, exposed to over-watering by the sprinklers and rain and has not had the sort of care my potted geraniums have had, yet a bit of deadheading and pruning easily brings it back to its former glory within a fairly short space of time. Not to mention the colour and shape of the blooms are just glorious. I would recommend this geranium to the most novice of gardeners!
6. GREEN CENTRED GALILEE
Green Centred Galilee is one of those plants that only gets better with age. I found her a bit underwhelming to start off with - the flowers were a fairly ordinary pink colour, shape and size and the green pip was very small. But the plant I have is coming up to about a year old now and the blooms are a lot more spectacular - they are larger, they are more double and frilly and they have a prominent green pip in the middle which gradually reveals itself as the flower opens and adds a lot of interest to its overall profile. I've included a photo of it all frilly and rosette-like, as well as fully open showing its green centre.
They're all lovely Hannah - I think my favourite two are Green Centred Galilee and your namesake Rainbow Hannah Jane. It's nice having a DIL with a green thumb - it will help offset the lack of them in the family :)
ReplyDeleteI think your thumb is greener than you think - I've seen your little backyard corner garden, it is gorgeous! xox
ReplyDeleteI never realised just how beautifully "rose-like" some geraniums can be! You certainly have a lovely collection and your knowledge is impressive xx
ReplyDeleteGeraniums are so pretty. I have some in front of my home. I never realized there were so many different types! I love the royal lavendar
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there were so many types of Geranium, but I don't know much about flowers. Your pictures are breathtaking. All of them are beautiful, but I think my favorite is the Royal Lavender.
ReplyDeleteWow! Your garden is simply gorgeous. I had no idea there were so many different varieties of Geraniums. I just bought a bright pink Geranium for my daughter to take care of. We placed it on out front porch. It gets a lot of direct sun and is thriving. Now i'm going to research what kind it is.
ReplyDeleteI liked Royal Lavender and Elsie Hirt. Very elegant, and so soothing to the eyes. Your post has lots of interesting information.
ReplyDeleteGeraniums are so lovely, I have never seen most of these, I do like the common one ROYAL LAVENDER. Thanks for sharing these lovely creations.
ReplyDeleteKathleen
Blogger's Pit Stop
Amazing show my favourit is Barice Cottington. How would I buy only a cutting please? Urgent reply. Nadia Attard
ReplyDelete