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Stage 3 of the Trial of Hardy Geraniums and Geraniums Suitable for Rock Gardens
The rst two stages of the Trial of Hardy Geraniums included plants suitable for general border use. However, Stage 3 of the Trial and the Trial of Geraniums Suitable for Rock Gardens featured plants with more specialised cultivation requirements. Stage 3 dealt with plants that thrive in some degree of shade and the Rock Trial with plants that require a well-drained soil that provides a sufciency of water in the summer but protects from damp conditions in winter. Both trials began in 2004 and concluded in 2006. rise to numerous dark-leaved hybrids. Several other miscellaneous species were grown, a number of which proved too large for most rock gardens.
Cultivation
Entries in Stage 3 were planted in the spring of 2004 and were provided with shade netting above and on the south side to aid their establishment. The netting was removed in November 2005. One plant of each G. phaeum and G. macrorrhizum entry was cut back after owering to stimulate a second ush. Plants in the Rock Trial were grown in a raised bed lled with equal parts of sterilised loam, peat and grit that was top-dressed with grit. The pH of the medium was 6.8. Plants were dead-headed after owering.
Entries
There were 136 entries in Stage 3 and 105 entries in the Rock Trial, submitted by nurseries in the UK and Holland, National Collection Holders and individuals (listed on page 19). There were far fewer hybrids among the Stage 3 plants than in the previous stages and most were selections of Geranium macrorrhizum, G. maculatum, G. nodosum, G. phaeum and G. sylvaticum. However, several cultivars of G. cantabrigiense (G. dalmaticum G. macrorrhizum) and G. monacense (G. phaeum G. reexum) were included. Many of the plants in the Rock Trial were selections of G. subcaulescens or hybrids of that species included in G. lindavicum and Cinereum Group. Other important species were G. sanguineum, G. dalmaticum, and its hybrid G. cantabrigiense, and G. sessiliorum which has given
Front cover: Geranium phaeum David Bromley (photo: Wendy Wesley) Above: General view of the Stage 3 Trial (photo: Wendy Wesley) Above right: Rock Geranium Trial (photo: Jacquie Gray)
Stage 3
See pages 411
Rock Trial
See pages 1216
Geranium sanguineum Little Bead Geranium sanguineum Shepherds Warning Geranium sanguineum var. striatum Geranium subcaulescens Giuseppii Geranium subcaulescens Splendens Geranium subcaulescens
(H4) = hardy throughout the UK (date after the name denotes year AGM was given)
Objectives
To recommend the Award of Garden Merit to those plants considered the best for garden decoration To demonstrate the range and use as garden plants To compare new with old cultivars To assess for border decoration and ground cover To ascertain which require staking To determine correct nomenclature
(H4) = hardy throughout the UK (date after the name denotes year AGM was given)
Objectives
To recommend the Award of Garden Merit To determine correct nomenclature To ascertain suitability for rock gardens
Judging criteria
Habit Vigour (health) Floriferousness Length of owering period Foliage
Judging criteria
Habit suitable for rock gardens Floriferousness Foliage Vigour (health)
Records
Flowering dates
Records
Flowering dates, mildew if relevant Height and spread Habit Winter leaf retention Staking
Geranium maculatum An open, upright plant, growing to about 70cm tall from a compact rootstock, native to eastern parts of North America. Its leaves are up to 20cm across with 5 or 7 deep divisions and sometimes have faint blotches. The owers are upward-facing usually in rather washed-out shades of pink. Not the nest member of the genus but there are some good selections for the border or wild garden. Worthwhile clones include Beth Chatto, with large lilac owers, Elizabeth Ann, with lilac owers on brown leaves, Espresso, with dark leaves and small owers, and Vickie Lynn with good autumn colour. There is also an attractive white-owered form: G. maculatum f. albiorum.
Geranium sylvaticum An upright, middle-sized geranium growing from a compact rootstock. A native of Europe including the north of England and parts of Scotland. The leaves are deeply divided into 7 or 9 and much toothed, growing to about 20cm across. The owers are quite small, usually about 25mm across and bluish with a white eye though other colour forms are often found in gardens. Hybrids with this species are rare but selections include Album, with white owers and pale leaves, Amy Doncaster, with blue owers, Angulatum, an old cultivar with deep pink veins, and Mayower with large, lavender owers.
Geranium phaeum An upright plant with large basal leaves, sometimes blotched with maroon at the nodes. The small owers are often drooping with at or reexed petals. The darkowered plants are sometimes called mourning widows but there are many other colour variants. This species crosses with G. reexum to form a hybrid named G. monacense. It is an interesting species rewarding close scrutiny of the delicate blooms and includes some of the best foliage plants in the genus. Cultivars include Lily Lovell, with large violet owers, Rose Madder, with dark blotched leaves and curious pink-brown owers, Samobor. with heavily blotched leaves and dark owers, and Variegatum with leaf margins unevenly edged in cream.
Geranium macrorrhizum A spreading, rhizomatous plant forming good ground cover and growing to only 30-50cm in height. It is a sticky and sickly aromatic native to mountainous places around the Mediterranean. The leaves are square to rounded in outline with 7 deep divisions. The owers are usually pink emerging from reddish calyces with spreading petals and long laments. It hybridises with the closely related G. dalmaticum to give a sterile hybrid named G. cantabrigiense. Cultivars include Bevans Variety, with large, magenta-pink owers, Ingwersens Variety, with light pink owers and glossy leaves, Variegatum, with cream-edged leaves, and White-Ness, which produces small, white owers in profusion.
Geranium wallichianum A spreading or trailing species lacking rosette leaves. The stem leaves are divided into 5 and are 5-sided in outline, in opposite pairs along the stems, often attractively marbled and with large, fused stipules at the base. The owers are usually large and in a shade of blue with a white eye. A native of the Himalaya, it is a variable plant which can be spreading or mound-forming. Not a rst rate garden plant except in its cultivars. It is starting to prove a valuable parent of gardenworthy hybrids such as ROZANNE (Gerwat) and Jolly Bee. The cultivars are often seed-raised and include Buxtons Variety, with long stems and violettinged owers, and Syabru, with magenta-pink owers without a white eye.
Geranium wlassovianum A bushy, hairy species from eastern Europe and western Asia, with quite small leaves cut into 7 divisions, not too heavily toothed, that colour well in autumn. The owers are magenta-purple and have a white eye. G. wlassovianum Blue Star, with late, lavender-blue owers is becoming popular and it crosses with G. sanguineum, which has given rise to the cultivar Kahn.
Geranium nodosum A rhizomatous, upright species from central Europe. Grows to a height of about 50cm with glossy green, broad leaves, cut into 3 or 5 divisions, little-lobed but with regular teeth. The upper stem leaves have 3 divisions, giving the plant its characteristic appearance. The owers are pinkish to magenta, paler in the centre with notched petals. Cultivars are seed-raised and may vary a little. Svelte Lilac has mauve owers, Swish Purple has starry owers, magenta with a lilac base, Whiteleaf has dark leaves.
Geranium erianthum A wide-ranging species growing to 60cm tall with basal leaves cut into 7 to 9 overlapping divisions. The owers are large and range from white to deep lavender in colour. It is found in the wild from Siberia, Japan and Canada as well as islands in between, and plants from different parts of its range can differ considerably. There is a cultivar called Calm Sea with lavender owers and smudged blue veining on the petals.
Geranium macrorrhizum Bevans Variety AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Beth Chatto A luscious ground cover plant giving rise to clouds of vibrant purple-pink owers. A wonderful underplanting for owering trees and shrubs. Sprawling perennial to 25 80cm in trial. Basal leaf blades rhubarb scented to c60 80mm, borne on petioles to 150mm, covered with short, adpressed hairs on both sides, greyish yellow-green (147B), divided to about three quarters into 5 or 7; divisions widest towards apex, the lowest pair only overlapping, lobed in the top third; lobes rounded, more or less regular with short mucronate tips and shallow teeth. Stem leaves in 2 or 3 pairs, decreasing rapidly in size towards the apex. Stem quite thickly covered with soft, patent hairs of variable length. Inorescence a dense umbel of short-stalked owers. Calyx swollen, bladdery, glandular hairy; sepals suborbicular with a mucro to 1mm. Flowers to 25mm across, purplish pink (74A/B); petals strongly clawed, claw strongly wedge-shaped, blade orbicular, 10 10mm; laments c15mm, much exserted, curved; style 15mm at anthesis, curved.
Geranium Jolly Bee & ROZANNE (Gerwat) AGM (H4)2006 Sent by Beeches, Blooms, Cotswold Garden, Rougham Hall, Van Noort These entries were found to have no characters which could be used consistently to distinguish them and are therefore described together. Superb border plants starting to bloom as many geraniums are nishing but then smothering themselves in large, bright blue, saucer-shaped owers into the autumn. Vigorous, spreading perennial, to 70 160cm in trial. Basal leaf blades dark green (147A), lightly blotched yellowgreen (146B/C), especially at the notches, covered with short, adpressed white hairs, sparse on the undersides except along the veins, c110 90mm on petioles to c130mm, pentagonal in outline, divided to three fths into 5 or 7; divisions diamond-shaped, lobed to the base, longovate, with a short acute tip, basal lobes toothed. Stem leaves at regular intervals, paired, decreasing in size towards the apex. Stems red-ushed on pedicels and nodes with short, adpressed hairs
Geranium macrorrhizum Mytikas AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Jan Spruyt An ideal ground cover specimen with a spreading habit and very neat foliage that lasts the summer well. Flowers small but prolically borne and a stunning purplish pink. Carpet-forming perennial to 30 160cm in trial. Basal leaves rhubarb-scented, small, to 60 80mm, borne on long petioles to 220mm, covered with short, glandular and eglandular hairs, yellowgreen (146A), divided to about three
All descriptions are based on plants grown in Stage 3 of the RHS Trial of Hardy Geraniums. Plants grown elsewhere may differ slightly according to cultivation conditions. Colour codes were taken using the RHS Colour Chart. The fth edition (2007) is available from RHSE Mail Order, Wisley, Surrey GU23 6QB.
quarters into 5 or 7; divisions widest above halfway, little overlapping, lobed to about half way; lobes regular, triangular with a small acute tip with occasional, sharp teeth. Stems subglabrous with usually 2 pairs of leaves very reduced at the apex. Flowers profuse, borne in dense umbels; pedicels short. Calyx swollen, bladdery, reddish; sepals suborbicular with a mucro to 2mm. Flower to 20mm across, purplish pink (pinker than 80B); petals clawed to long cuneate, blade broad obovate, 10 9mm, sometimes obscurely notched at apex; laments c16mm, much exserted, curved; style c16mm at anthesis, curved.
Geranium macrorrhizum WhiteNess AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Lodge Lane A neat and robust plant with pale, fresh leaves. The pure white owers, carried in remarkable abundance, impart a ghostly glow to a gloomy spot. Low mound-forming perennial with an upright habit to 50 110cm in trial. Basal leaf blades rhubarb-scented, small, to c50 70mm, borne on long petioles to c200mm, covered with short, glandular and eglandular hairs, greyish yellow green (147B), divided to about two thirds into 5; divisions widest towards apex, little overlapping, lobed to about half way; lobes shallow, rounded with small rounded, sharp-tipped teeth. Stem leaves in 2 or 3 pairs decreasing rapidly in size towards the apex. Stems with very short hairs, few of them glandular. Flowers profusely borne in dense umbels; pedicels short. Calyx swollen, bladdery, pale green; sepals suborbicular with a mucro to 2mm. Flowers to 15mm across, pure white, petals strongly clawed, claw strongly wedge-shaped, blade orbicular 8 9mm; laments c18mm, much exserted, curved; style c16mm at anthesis, curved.
Upright perennial to 60 70cm in trial. Basal leaves to 120 100mm borne on long petioles to 220mm with short, white, adpressed hairs, strongly associated with the veins on the underside, dark reddish brown (redder than 200B), divided almost to the base into 5; divisions widely spaced, not overlapping, lobed to about half way, sometimes with teeth lower down; lobes coarse, irregular, roundedtriangular, acute with occasional teeth. Stem leaves paired, with lowest almost as large as the basal leaves, the upper bractlike. Stems green, tinged orange-brown (176A), darkest toward ower. Pubescence tight to moderate, hairs mostly down-curved. Inorescence of a few very long, peduncled lower owers and clusters of upper owers with very short pedicels. Sepals long ovate covered with gland-tipped hairs; mucro to 2mm. Flowers to 35mm across, pale pinkishpurple (81C/D); petals 15 12mm, broad obovate.
Geranium phaeum Our Pat AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Robin Moss A strange and dramatic plant with purple-black owers on upright stems. An eye-catching presence in the border. Upright perennial, to 110 90cm in trial. Basal leaf blades to 100 180mm, borne on long petioles to c45cm, unblotched, with short, white, eglandular hairs, sparse on the underside except along the veins, rectangular in outline, divided to about two thirds into 7 or 9; divisions overlapping in top half; rhomboid, lobed to about half way; lobes rounded-triangular, tip acute with occasional teeth. Stem leaves solitary becoming paired in the inorescence, upper leaves with very narrow, acute lobes. Stems with short, glandular and long, patent eglandular hairs. Inorescence diffuse, inclined to one side, owers upward pointed. Sepals narrowoblong with a fringe of long hairs; mucro absent or minute. Flowers to 25mm across, dark purple (79A/B) with a silvery white eye. Petals level to slightly reexed, broad obovate, lightly frilled to obscurely notched at the apex. Geranium ROZANNE (Gerwat) see Jolly Bee
Geranium maculatum Elizabeth Ann AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Cotswold Garden One of the best foliage geraniums with its rich bronzy leaves and elegant posture. The owers are purplish-pink and fall to reveal lime-green calyces.
130
110cm
White
100
120cm
Dull purple (79D) around a pale grey eye Dark reddish purple (N79B) Dark violet(79B/C)
50
70cm
70
100cm
110
150cm
Dark purple (79 A/B) with a silvery eye Unusual reddish, grey washed with a grey eye Dusky purple (N79B)
110
90cm
40
70cm
G. phaeum Samobor
40
70cm
Leaves very strongly blotched purple in a ring around the centre. Leaves very pale yellow.
50
70cm
Habit
10
11
12
G.
cantabrigiense Cambridge
40
65
(10)
G. cantabrigiense St. Ola (11) White, pinkish (57D) on the veins White with a hint of pink Purplish pink (74A-B) 1 20 50cm
G. macrorrhizum Album
35
60cm
Not as vigorous as most but does better in deeper shade. Effective groundcover, owers held well above foliage. Beautiful in ower but becoming ragged later. Forming a delightful oriferous carpet. Lovely pure white owers with green calyces.
25
80cm
Dark pinkish purple (74A-78A) Purplish pink, pinker than 80B White
30
50cm
G. macrorrhizum Mytikas
30
160cm
G. macrorrhizum White-Ness
50
110cm
Late April late May Early May early June Early May early June
An unsophisticated plant good for a naturalistic setting. A good compact Scandinavian selection. An excellent white-owered plant falling just short of an AGM.
60
80cm
80
110cm
13
14
15
16
Colour Pale pink (69B/C), purplish veins, white at base Purple (82A) tinged (81A) Purple (80A), stamens blue
Habit 3
90
90cm
Plentiful owers.
80
80cm
Geranium wallichianum selections and hybrids in alphabetical order G. Jolly Bee / G. R OZANNE (Gerwat) Blue (88B), veined red, white at base 2 70 160cm Early June late October Outstanding plants smothered in delightful owers over a long period. A beautiful and reliable groundcover. A vigorous plant found as a seedling on the Rock Garden at Wisley.
Violet (88C), white in basal half Purple (80B) with white at base
30
130cm
40
170cm
Selections and hybrids of other species in alphabetical order G. Arnoldshof (22) Pale pink (70A), veined pink (75A) Vivid purple (78A), veined red Pale violet (85A) 4 60 50cm Early May late May Late May early August Late May early June Late May early July Second ush of owers from late June early August. Airy habit with owers of a stunning colour. Second ush of owers from mid July early August. Attractive owers but a short season.
G. Danny Boy
(23)
50
160cm
80
90cm
G. gracile Blanche
90
90cm
21
22
23
24
10
Habit
25
26
27
28
Habit 3
Dimensions 90 120cm
Notes Sparse second ush produced late in the season. Bronze leaves combine well with purplish pink owers and other foliage. Bronze foliage but not as dark as Elizabeth Ann. Spreading by rhizomes and good for indifferent soils. Glossy foliage and unusual white edge to the petals. Heavy black veining on bluish ower. Originally circulated as G. ibericum. Insufcient ower.
60
70cm
60
60cm
Late April early June Late May late June Late May mid July Early May mid July
50
110cm
Light purple (74C), heavily ushed purple Violet purple (88B) with dark veins.
60
80cm
G. platyanthum Genyell
50
110cm
Violet (88C)
70
100cm
(29)
G. Salome (30) Pale purple (80A) 2 60 170cm
Late April mid May Mid June late July Early June late July Mid July early October
Rampant growth with lots of colour in ower. Flopped badly when owering.
G. Silva
80
140cm
Pinkish purple (78A/B), veined red Violet (brighter than 87A) Purple (81A) lined purplish red
60
90cm
40
70cm
Mid June Pinkish bronze foliage when late September young. Early June Dislikes dry conditions. late September
70
150cm
(32)
29
30
31
32
11
Geranium cinereum A small, sparsely hairy species with often grey or silver leaves 5cm wide cut into 5 or 7 divisions. The stems have about 5 pairs of leaves with up to 10 owers. The owers are large compared to the plant and pale pink with a network of darker veins. It is native to the central Pyrenees. There is a white-owered cultivar named Album. Hybrids with G. subcaulescens, such as ROTHBURY GEM (Gerfos), Ballerina and Laurence Flatman, occur freely and are included in G. Cinereum Group.
Geranium subcaulescens A variable species native to the Balkan peninsula and parts of Turkey. It bears leaves to 5cm wide, divided into 5 or 7, sometimes hairy and darker green than G. cinereum. The inorescence has 6 to 8 owers. The owers have very bright purplish-red petals with a darker zone at the centre around a black eye. Cultivars inlcude Giuseppii, with brightly coloured owers and a small basal spot, and Splendens, with a blackish basal blotch and white margins in the lower half of the petals. G. subcaulescens forms hybrids with G. cinereum which are included in G. Cinereum Group and G. argenteum which are called G. lindavicum.
G. lindavicum Alanah
Geranium dalmaticum
G. lindavicum Garden hybrid between G. argenteum and G. subcaulescens rst raised in 1912. The leaves are grey and velvety, divided into 5 or 7, each division with 3 lobes. The owers are numerous and a garish purple-pink with dark veins becoming diffuse at the centre. Cultivars include Alanah, with crimson-purple owers, and Gypsy, with brilliant cerise owers with a maroon blotch.
Geranium dalmaticum A rhizomatous perennial with small leaves to 4cm across which are shiny and hairless. The long stems are carpetforming with a rosette of leaves at the end. The ower stalks are upright with the coral pink or white owers held horizontally. From the coast of Montenegro and northern Albania, it is closely related to G. macrorrhizum with which it crosses to form the hybrid G. cantabrigiense. Cultivars of G. dalmaticum include Album, with white owers, and low-growing Croftlea.
12
Geranium sanguineum A low-growing, bushy, rapidly spreading plant found throughout most of Europe, the Caucasus and Turkey. The stems emerge from underground rhizomes and carry paired leaves that are rather small and deeply divided into 5 or 7. The owers are a striking shade of purple-red, upwardfacing, to about 40mm wide. G. sanguineum var. striatum is native to Walney Island and other places on the Cumbrian coast and are low-growing plants with very pale pink owers, of which the cultivar Splendens is a ne selection. Other cultivars include Album, with white owers, and Shepherds Warning with deep coloured owers and a compact habit. Hybrids include Tiny Monster and Little David, which are crosses with the much larger G. psilostemon.
Geranium Dusky Crg
Geranium sessiliorum An underwhelming species native to New Zealand, Tasmania and South America, with rosettes of little round leaves on long stalks. The owers are small and white to about 1cm across in diffuse inorescences. Most of the plants in cultivation are G. sessiliorum subsp. novaezelandiae, with leaves divided to about half way with oblong leaf divisions. Of most horticultural interest are the dark-leaved variants such as Nigricans, which has olive green to brown foliage, and Porters Pass, which has leaves of a bronzy-red colour. Seedlings arise freely and often come true. A range of hybrids with this species have been developed.
Geranium orientalitibeticum
Geranium sessiliorum hybrids G. sessiliorum has been crossed with a number of other species to try to combine its colourful leaves with larger plants with bigger owers. Hybrids with G. traversii from the Chatham Islands have been give the name G. antipodeum and include the cultivar Sea Spray which has greenish brown leaves and pale pink to almost white owers. Hybrids with G. oxonianum are becoming common. They are generally low-growing plants with murky coloured leaves and coral pink owers. Cultivars of this cross include Coffee Time, Sea Fire and Sea Pink. There is also a cross between G. sessiliorum subsp. novaezelandiae Nigricans and the little-grown G. suzukii which has been named Welsh Guiness.
Geranium orientalitibeticum A low-growing perennial plant from screes in southwestern China. It spreads quickly on the rock garden by underground runners and also has small tubers which can be difcult to eradicate from the soil, so careful siting is essential. The basal leaves grow to about 10cm across and are cut into 5 divisions, lobed towards the apex. They are strongly marbled which is a distinctive feature of the plant. The owers are about 40mm across, the basal third being white, the rest purplish pink.
13
Geranium (Cinereum Group) Giuseppii AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Allan Robinson, Coombland Cheerful and reliable with bright, almost magenta owers and a small, black eye. Deserving a prominent place in the rock garden. Mound-forming perennial, 100 250mm in trial. Basal leaf blades to c25 30mm on petioles to 80mm, mid green (137B/C), sparsely hairy on the upper surface, thicker below, circular in outline, divided to three quarters into 7; divisions little overlapping, 3lobed for about one third of their length; lobes more-or-less equal, ovate, obtuse with occasional teeth. Stem leaves in unequal pairs, much reduced, usually 1 pair per stem. Stems lax to upright, pale green, tinted reddishbrown, minutely pubescent. Flowers borne in pairs at the tips of the branches. Sepals narrowly ovate to elliptic, 7 3mm with hyaline margins, mucro to 1mm. Flowers 25-30mm across, vivid reddish-purple (slightly stronger than 74A), nely veined purplish-red (71A) the colour fading just above the small black centre; petals obovate, 14 12mm, the apex truncate to faintly notched. Geranium (Cinereum Group) ROTHBURY GEM (Gerfos) AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Blooms A charming little geranium forming a mound of delicate leaves above which oat large pale purple, red-eyed owers. A valuable recent introduction. Mound-forming perennial, 100 200mm in trial. Basal leaf blades c20 25mm on petioles to 50mm, mid green (bluer than 137B) with an even covering of short, adpressed hairs, circular in outline, divided to three quarters into 7; divisions overlapping, 3-lobed for about one third of their length; lobes more-or-less equal, ovate, obtuse, lacking teeth. Stem leaves in pairs, few, much reduced. Stems upright, green with a hint of brownish-grey with short adpressed hairs. Flowers borne in pairs at the tips of the branches. Sepals ovate, 7 3mm with fringed, hyaline margins, mucro to 1mm. Flowers 30mm across, pale purple (75B/C), main veins dark purplish red (71A) converging at the centre to form an eye; petals obcordate, 15 10mm.
Geranium lindavicum Gypsy AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Hon Anne Baring Lost from cultivation for several years but re-discovered and available once more. Strikingly vivacious owers of a colour unlike any other geranium to date. Mound-forming perennial, 150 200mm in trial. Basal leaf blades c20 25mm on petioles to 80mm, mid green (138A) with an even covering of short, adpressed silvery hairs, rectangular in outline, divided to three quarters into 7; divisions little overlapping, 3lobed for about one third of their length; lobes more-or-less equal, ovate, obtuse with occasional teeth. Stem leaves single or in unequal pairs, few, much reduced. Stems lax, green with red nodes and short, adpressed hairs. Flowers borne in pairs at the tips of the branches. Sepals ovate, 8 3mm with fringed, hyaline margins, mucro to 1mm. Flowers 30mm across, vivid purple (74A), veins dark purplish red (71A) fading to white above a dark maroon blotch at the centre; petals obcordate to obovate with a shallow notch, 15 15mm. Geranium sanguineum Little Bead AGM (H4) 2006 Sent by Waterpump, Penlan Ground-hugging cultivar with lovely saucer-shaped, pinkish to purple owers. One of the members of its species best suited to the domestic rock garden. Spreading, rhizomatous perennial, 14 55cm in trial. Rosette leaves few, soon disappearing. Stems leaves paired c25 35mm, mid green (137B), evenly covered with short, adpressed hairs, longer on the underside, divided almost to the base into 5 or 7; divisions clearly distinct, cuneate, widest near the apex, acute, margins revolute, 2-3 lobed; lobes lanceolate, lacking teeth, with a minute acute tip. Stems prostrate, pale green ushed red, especially beneath the nodes, covered with long and short, patent, eglandular hairs. Flowers mostly borne singly on peduncle to 60mm; pedicels to c30mm. Sepals elliptic-ovate, 8 4mm with 3 prominent veins and hyaline margins, mucro to 2mm. Flowers 40mm across, pinkish purple (78B), nely veined purplish red (61A/B) with a small, white eye; petals broad obovate 15 20mm, crimped with a very shallow notch at the apex.
JG
JG
JG
BP
14
Habit
Notes Plants from micropropagated stock lost compact habit. Flowers held nicely above plant. Stems become rather diffuse.
(1)
G. (Cinereum Group) Carol
2/3
14
25cm
2/3
20
40cm
10
25cm
G. (Cinereum Group) Laurence Flatman (2) G. (Cinereum Group) ROTHBURY GEM (Gerfos)
10
25cm
Distinctive arrow-shaped darker patch on each petal. Very neat foliage and a splendid lavender-purple eye to the owers.
10
20cm
Geranium sanguineum selections and hybrids in alphabetical order G. Little David Vivid purplish red (78A) with purplish veins White to very faintly pink 3/4 30 50 Early June late July An unusual hybrid with G. psilostemon but proving too big for most rock gardens. An attractive and reliable plant but too vigorous for a small rockery. Uninspiring but with dainty little leaves. Ground-hugging plant with lovely rounded owers.
2/3
50
70m
G. sanguineum Droplet
Reddish purple (78A) Pinkish purple (78B), nely veined purplish red Vivid purplish red (67C) Very pale pink (69C), veined purplish pink
17
45cm
14
55cm
12
33cm
Deep purplish pink owers combine well with dark foliage. AGM reconrmed for rock garden use.
30
70cm
Geranium sessiliorum selections and hybrids in alphabetical order G. Cally Variety Pale pink (69C), fading to white Pale pink (75C), white towards base 2 10 25 Mid May mid June Died in trial Unimpressive in trial with small owers. An untidy plant best suited to the front of the border.
32
55cm
JG
JG
JG
15
JG
JG
JG
JG
Habit 2
Dimensions 15 80cm
Notes Sparsely owered and too spreading for the rock garden. Attractive brown foliage but with small owers. Short-lived but seeding around freely. Deep bronze foliage excellent.
G. sessiliorum subsp. novaezelandiae Nigricans G. sessiliorum subsp. novaezelandiae Porters Pass (5)
20cm
White
10
28cm
Geranium subcaulescens selections and hybrids in alphabetical order G. lindavicum Alanah (6) Purplish pink (74C), white in lower half Vivid purple (74A), dark eye with white surround Vivid purple (74A) with a dark eye Bright pink (67B) with a dark eye 3 13 30cm Mid May late July Mid May late July Flowers with a nice dark edge. Foliage silvery and neat. Superb airy inorescence. Plants in trial beneted from light shade. Compact plants with strikingly clear, dark-eyed owers. Wonderful bright pink owers with a delicate eye.
G.
lindavicum Gypsy
(7)
15
20cm
G. subcaulescens Giuseppii
18
40cm
(8)
G. subcaulescens Splendens
17
20cm
(9)
Other species in alphabetical order G. caeruleatum Pale violet (87/D) 2 10 35cm Died in trial An unusual, oriferous plant with a good habit. A delicate aromatic plant, there is also a white-owered cultivar called Album. A suckering, vigorous plant with marbled foliage. A very invasive plant but also succumbing to disease. Too invasive for the rock garden.
G. dalmaticum
(10)
12
23cm
G. orientalitibeticum (11)
Pinkish purple (78B), white patch at base White blushed pale pink (65D) Reddish purple (78A) veined red
28
50cm
G. potentilloides (12)
80cm
G. pylzowianum
20
50cm
10
11
12
JG
JG
JG
JG
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Findings
Stage 3 Botanical and nomenclatural notes
Several entries were found not to be correctly named. Some plants submitted as G. sylvaticum Birch Lilac were identied as Mayower, G. pylzowianum proved to be G. orientalitibeticum and G. phaeum Majus was G. monacense var. anglicum. Other incorrect entries included the G. macrorrhizum cultivars Ingwersens Variety and Pindus and G. cantabrigiense Biokovo. During the period of the trial the plant that had been submitted as G. platyanthum giant was given the cultivar name Russian Giant and a hybrid between G. sylvaticum and G. pratense was called Richard Nutt. The cultivar Silva was found not to be a selection of G. sylvaticum as usually reported but, more likely, a hybrid between G. pratense and G. collinum.
Cultivation
Plants that had been grown in peat tended to establish very badly and it is advisable to wash the roots of plants received in this way before planting. A number of the entries were found to be too large for the site and for most domestic rock gardens. Particularly vigorous were Geranium riversleaianum Russell Prichard, G. renardii, G. tuberosum, G. potentilloides, many of the darkleaved plants and a number of selections of G. sanguineum as well as its hybrid Tiny Monster.
Cultivation
The benet of cutting back cultivars of G. phaeum and G. macrorrhizum was shown. This practice results in tidier plants and often a second ush of owers. After the removal of the shade-netting variegated and golden-leaved selections of G. phaeum became prone to scorching and it is best to grow these permanently in semi-shade.
Micropropagation
Micropropagated plants of G. (Cinereum Group) Ballerina were found to be inferior to vegetatively raised stock in their weaker ower colour and more lax habit. Where possible it is recommended to purchase plants grown from cuttings or division as these are considered true to the name.
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Overview
The RHS Trial of Hardy Geraniums, including the Rock Trial, ran from 2002 to 2006 and was the largest ever trial of the genus. Over the course of four years more than 500 entries were recorded, described and judged. Plantswoman and nursery owner Elizabeth Strangman had originally recognised the need for a trial to try and select the really worthwhile plants from the great number of named also-rans that had appeared over the preceding decade or so. Between 1997 and 2002 alone, the number of Geranium listed in RHS Plant Finder had shot up by 172. Now that the Trial is over there can be little doubt that it has succeeded in identifying the genuinely excellent plants. The list of AGMs is an impressive one, a reliable guide to the best cranes-bills from across the entire range of these varied plants. Stage 1 featured some of the more tender, less conventional members of the genus such as Geranium palmatum, the G. traversii hybrids and the South African species. In addition to these, the spectacular blue-owered hybrids of the Pratense Group, some of the nest geraniums of all, were judged. These included the AGM-winning cultivars Blue Cloud, Brookside, Nimbus and Orion. Stage 2 offered the chance to study the lurid hybrids of G. psilostemon such as Anne Thomson, Ann Folkard, Ivan and PATRICIA (Brempat) as well as the less typical, but strikingly individual, derivative BLUE SUNRISE (Blogold). These dazzling plants were in marked contrast to the bland ranks of G. oxonianum cultivars that also appeared in Stage 2 with their barely distinct, pastel-coloured owers. Stage 3 demonstrated what extremely good plants hardy geraniums are as ground cover for a shady spot. It also featured possibly the most magnicent geraniums of the whole trial, ROZANNE (Gerwat) and Jolly Bee, which, in unison, both smothered themselves with large blue, white-eyed owers well into autumn. The Rock Trial proved to be a record of just how few rock geraniums are reliable, healthy plants suitable for domestic gardens. However, the AGM winners were among the daintiest and most appealing of any of the plants in trial. The Trial of Hardy Geraniums was a tremendous effort of organisation, co-operation and plantsmanship and its legacy is a greater awareness of the best cultivars to plant, a more accurate nomenclature and a fuller appreciation of this fascinating and beautiful genus.
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Plants for Europe Ltd, Croftway Hall, Barnham, PO22 0BQ www.plantsforeurope.com RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB The Plantsmans Preference, Hopton Road, Garboldisham, IP22 2QN www.plantpref.co.uk Rougham Hall Nurseries, Rougham, Suffolk IP30 9LZ www.roughamhallnurseries.co.uk Jan Spruyt, Mostenveld 30, 9255 Buggenhout, Belgium www.vasteplant.be Tir Mab Cynan Nursery, Brithdir, near Dolgellau, Wales LL40 2RW Usual & Unusual Plants, Magham Down, East Sussex BN27 1PL www.uuplants.co.uk Van Noort, NL-2361 HG Warmond, Wasbeeklan 13, Netherlands www.marcovannoort.nl The Walled Garden, Hornby, Lancaster, LA2 8LD www.thewalledgarden.co.uk Waterpump Farm, Ryeford, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7PU Individuals (can be contacted via RHS Trials Ofce): Inez Arnold, Michael Baron, Margaret Easter, Dr Ieuan Evans, Revd. Oliver Folkard, Sylvia Morrow, Robin Moss, Andrew Norton, Grace N Ofcer, Allan Robinson, Susan Rowe, Jane Taylor, Tommy Tnsberg.
Arends Maubach Stauden, Monschaustrasse 76, 42369 WuppertalRonsdorf, Germany www.arends-maubach.de Cally Gardens, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas, DG7 2DJ www.callygardens.co.uk Cambridge Alpines, 20 Paget Place, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7DR Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Bateman Street, Cambridge, CB2 1JF Croftway Nursery, Yapton Road, Barnham, West Sussex, PO22 0BH www.croftway.co.uk Crg Farm Plants, Grifths Crossing, Nr Caernarfon, LL55 1TU www.crug-farm.co.uk Darwin Plants, PO Box 40, 2180 AA Hillegom, The Netherlands www.darwinplants.com Howard Nurseries, Wortham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 1PX www.howardnurseries.co.uk Margery Fish Gardens, East Lambrook, Somerset, TA13 5HL www.eastlambrook.co.uk Monksilver Nursery, Cottenham, Cambridgshire, CB4 8TW www.monksilver.com Penlan Perennials, Penrhiwpal, Llandysul, SA44 5QH, Wales www.penlanperennials.co.uk Rosies Garden Plants, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 7EB www.rosiesgardenplants.biz Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB Sarastro-Stauden, Ort 131, A-4974 Ort im Innkreis, Austria www.sarastro-stauden.com Secret Seeds, Cove, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RU www.secretseeds.com W E TH. Ingwersen Ltd, Gravetye, West Sussex RH19 4LE www.ingwersen.co.uk Individuals (can be contacted via RHS Trials Ofce): Hon. Anne Baring, Alan Bremner, Alan Edwards, Harry Hay, Elizabeth Law, Alvar and Patricia Lockett, Robin Moss, Andrew Norton, Allan Robinson, Alan Wolsoncroft.
Further reading
Armitage, J. (2005) RHS Plant Trials and Awards: Hardy Geraniums Stage 1. Royal Horticultural Society, UK Armitage, J. (2006) RHS Plant Trials and Awards: Hardy Geraniums Stage 2. Royal Horticultural Society, UK Bath, T. & J. Jones. (1994) The Gardeners Guide to Growing Hardy Geraniums. David & Charles, Newton Abbot Bendtsen B. H. (2005) Gardening with Hardy Geraniums. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. Hibberd, D. (2003) RHS Wisley Handbooks: Hardy Geraniums. Cassell Illustrated, Great Britain Parker, G. (ed.). (2001) Hardy Geraniums for the Garden. Hardy Plant Society, Pershore Victor, D.X. (2nd edition, 2004) Register of Geraniaceae Cultivar Names. The Geranium Group, UK Yeo, P.F. (3rd edition, 2002) Hardy Geraniums. B T Batsford, London
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These bulletins can be viewed at a larger size on the RHS Website: www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials_bulletins.asp
RHS Herbarium
The RHS Herbarium keeps a record of trial cultivars as dried specimens with detailed descriptions and photographic images. This forms an important reference for the horticultural industry. In addition new cultivars are designated nomenclatural standards. The RHS Herbarium, located at RHS Garden Wisley, is the largest active horticultural herbarium in the UK. At present the collection contains about 70,000 herbarium specimens and over 30,000 images of plants.
Trials Ofce RHS Garden Wisley Woking Surrey GU23 6QB e-mail: trials@rhs.org.uk
www.rhs.org.uk/trials
Reg charity no. 222879/SCO 38262 All text & images Copyright RHS 2006 ISSN: 1477-9153 (print) ISSN: 1447-9161 (online)