Pelargonium flowers

[Herts Mike]

As the leaves dry up, the flowers come out. This Pel oblongatum. More to follow.

[Terry S.]

Enthusiasts should remember that they can get seed from a single plant of one of these Hoarea pelargoniums if you can find individual flowers with well-developed stigmas and others that still have pollen (the sexual organs mature at different rates). I have just harvested my first seeds of the year from P. appendiculatum and P. quarciticola, but you have to be observant because they come out from the "cranesbill" on a parachute that just remains attached by thread until the wind blows strong enough. I always get a few that I missed come up as weeds in other pots.

[edds]

I used to grow and sell over 200 types of hardy geranium and a good trick to prevent losing seeds is to either bag the seed head (but it's very fiddly) or carefully snip the very end off the rostrum that develops - this stops the explosive dispersal mechanism working.

[Terry S.]

With the Hoarea Pelargoniums, it is the very tip of the bill that stays connected to the seed parachute for the short period when it can be harvested. So I suspect that removal of the bill tip would also remove this lifeline. Bagging of the umbel would certainly solve the problem. Most of these tuberous pelargoniums lack any material for vegetative propagation and so seed is our only method to reproduce them. As it becomes increasingly difficult to send seed legally around the World, it helps to conserve the species if we can produce our own seed. With these Hoareas, I sow any seed in late September.

[Herts Mike]

Nice weeds Terry!

[Herts Mike]

Pelargonium pulverulentum

[Diane]

Lovely, Mike!

[edds]

That one is lovely! I must try and find seed of that! Does only a particular form have the pale petal edges?

[Herts Mike]

I don't really know Ed. Sorry.

[edds]

I don't really know Ed. Sorry.

No problem Mike. Looking on the internet there are a few different forms but it looks like most have the picotee on the bottom three petals at least.