I have pulled it out. I got it as a cutting and put it into a desolate corner of the garden, that corner after mulching etc is ok and I don’t much like the geranium. It is due to go onto the pile to be burnt but it may get a stay of execution if someone can persuade me, some nature critter or insect will benefit from it. I can think of another spot for it to go, but otherwise it goes the way of witches.
stick it inna a terracotta pot and put in on the verandah for a Mediterranean feel.
neomyrtus_ said:
stick it inna a terracotta pot and put in on the verandah for a Mediterranean feel.
Nahhh, just put some strawberries in the spare couple. I really don’t like it much, but can tolerate it if I can stick it somewhere I don’t see it much and it will feed some caterpillars or something. Plus they smell ikky. The only upside is that they seem to be indestructible, hence the fire.
neomyrtus_ said:
Hmmm, damn you, that is an idea. I have a pot like that which is sitting on a stump out the back, marking it so I don’t mow over it. It is just a marker so I don’t water it so nothing grows in it apart from weeds in spring that burn off when summer arrives.
Skunkworks said:
neomyrtus_ said:
Hmmm, damn you, that is an idea. I have a pot like that which is sitting on a stump out the back, marking it so I don’t mow over it. It is just a marker so I don’t water it so nothing grows in it apart from weeds in spring that burn off when summer arrives.
Do you know if it is geranium or pelargonium?
They can be useful plants in difficult spots, are known to attract pollinators to the garden and some have pleasant scents, though that is in the nasal passages of the individual. Some are reputed to repel flies and mosquitoes. Not that I have tested the theory but I have planted a few(a friend gave me one and I took cuttings) of that claim to fame near my front door. I’ve photographed blue banded bees attracted by them. More likely to attract native bees than introduced bees.
Definitely a geranium it even looks like the plant in the pot. But I am going to go with Neos idea, best of all worlds. It wont spread out of control, it is out the way, it may improve the appearance of the pot if it lives, and it might be tough enough to live without any care from me. It is a PITA watering that far from the house. That corner of the garden has been planted with canopy trees to shade the ground and can live without watering.
But it would still be interesting to know if they have any garden benefit.
Witches love using them for various spells. Plus they are pretty colours.
Skunkworks said:
Definitely a geranium it even looks like the plant in the pot. But I am going to go with Neos idea, best of all worlds. It wont spread out of control, it is out the way, it may improve the appearance of the pot if it lives, and it might be tough enough to live without any care from me. It is a PITA watering that far from the house. That corner of the garden has been planted with canopy trees to shade the ground and can live without watering.But it would still be interesting to know if they have any garden benefit.
The main garden benefit is the attraction of pollinating insects. The blue banded bees go around the garden helping your tomatoes make fruit and are better at that than the introduced bees.
Though you may need to do a bit of occasional pruning to keep the plant from leaning out of the pot and having branches take root, there are no disadvantages to neomrytus’ suggestion.
Well that is done, a few shoots and roots from the geranium in a pot. I mentioned earlier about strawberries and having a few beers and contemplating the pots both of which have a single strawberry plant in them it occurs to me I may have made a mistake. Do they spread much as they grow? Instead of one plant in the centre of the pot should I have maybe put a few in it?
>>Instead of one plant in the centre of the pot should I have maybe put a few in it?<<
Sort of depends how big your pot is. One plant can spread over a foot or so. But for it to do that you will need to feed and water. Then the strawberries hang attractively over the sides. Or so they say. I haven’t grown them that way and when I tried a strawberry bag I didn’t water it enough and they died…
buffy said:
>>Instead of one plant in the centre of the pot should I have maybe put a few in it?<<Sort of depends how big your pot is. One plant can spread over a foot or so. But for it to do that you will need to feed and water. Then the strawberries hang attractively over the sides. Or so they say. I haven’t grown them that way and when I tried a strawberry bag I didn’t water it enough and they died…
One foot should be fine. Veranda plants get a good watering from the water I syphon up from the huge pot with the goldfish, so they get black water full of goldfish poo. I have tried growing strawberries in the raised bed but they got eaten down to stumps.
My mum used to grow zinneas.
dv said:
My mum used to grow zinneas.
dv said:
My mum used to grow zinneas.
My mum used to eat lemons with added salt.
Everyone needs a hobby.
One of my geraniums is looking a bit dead :/
May I suggest that you cut one section of the stem with a node on the cutting. Place the cutting on the garden bed anywhere and let the cutting strike by itself and the pot the cutting.
I was not a big fan of geraniums in the past but they are hardy curve and they are pretty well drought tolerant too. I had many lining a driveway at one time (priors planting before I lived at that house). I thought they all looked rather out of control too. I cut them all back almost to ground level with sharp shears. The plan was to pull them out but time passed and some rain fell. Low and behold the geranium grew back with soft new green leaves and tight ball formations of colour. I was converted and as you identified the spot where the plant is may be a challenge to be replaced with another plant.
You could get many plants from that geranium in a similar fashion.
Place the cutting on the garden bed anywhere and let the cutting strike by itself and the pot the cutting.
meaning place the cutting flat on the ground just like people do with a frangipani cutting ie not into the soil but parrallel with the ground