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Let me tell you a story. I'd like you to supply the happy ending, please.
I sowed seeds for Geranium pratense and Geranium regelii. When two of the plants flowered, I thought they were the same, so thought I'd got the labels muddled and labelled them both Geranium pratense. When the third plant flowered, it was different. It looked a pale milky blue.
I then found out that Geranium regelii looked like Geranium pratense - the book I found it in said it was a more refined version. I looked at my two plants labelled Geranium pratense, and saw that one was a bit darker than the other. This one has stayed upright this year while the other one has flopped over. See my problem? Two lots of seeds, two different names - three different flowers.
I photographed the flowers, but the photos didn't look like the flowers. So I've scanned two flowers, and the photo of the third.
The first one is actually white with grey veins and lilac blotches but looks milky blue. Haven't a clue what this is.
The second one is from the photo which looks a bit paler than the actual flower. I thought this was Geranium pratense.
The third one is what I thought was Geranium pratense, but may be Geranium regelii.
Any help would be much appreciated. I have hundreds of seeds coming on all of these, but don't know what to label them.
Mary, Baa (who helped me with many useful tips before) gave you the serious side...
I would call the geraniums with funny names, and only after 2 - 3 years that I know which was a success, try to find what is what... geranium forgotta, geranium nomemo, geranium whatisit !! And don't confuse them!!
Best of luck,
Dimitri
the pratense group are probably the most variable of the geranium family because they cross so easily with their own cultivars and other geraniums.
the first plant looks like it could be Silver Queen which has white flowers with a hint a violet.
the second looks like a bad form of Mrs Kendall Clarke like the one poppysue has in the US.
the third is possibly pratense variant transbaicalicum which I also have.
I have some of my own pratense seedlings, including named cultivars, coming along. I have already transplanted the into bigger pots. would you like to swap some?
I think I got the seeds for G. regelii from Chris Chadwell, so they ought to be that, but I don't remember where I got the G. pratense - probably either AGS or HPS. What do you mean, a bad form of Mrs. Kendall Clarke? And insulting poppysue's plant at the same time! It looks lovely in flower - it just looks a tangled heap of immature seed pods now it's collapsed. The darker one is sturdier, and longer-lasting.
So we're going for Geranium pratense ?Silver Queen, Geranium pratense ?Mrs. Kendall Clarke, and Geranium pratense/regelii/transbaicalicum, are we?
Thanks for the offer of yet more Geraniums, Mark - I already have about 20, and I don't even like them that much. They just do so well here. You know the size of the G. lambertii I dug up and sent to you? It's still here. I said the roots were worse than dandelions (but the flower's nicer).
mark Antrim, Northern Ire United Kingdom (Zone 8b)
well, I didnt mean to upset you're plants but probably know what I mean. they could be seedling from her.
anyway, Mrs Kendall Clarke isnt Mrs KC. the plants got mixed up while on trial. she should be pearly grey flushed with pink not blue. one came from Blooms while the other came from a geranium breeder so the story goes.
Mark
mark Antrim, Northern Ire United Kingdom (Zone 8b)
