Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Geranium flowers on a Christmas tree?  Well, I did it this past Christmas!  Sure, some of the single blooming ones didn't last long, but the doubles and rosebuds lasted quite a while!  I have created some more pages (see links on the right side of this blog) with articles that I have written over the years.  I will add more in time if there is interest.

'Grainger's Tanya'

Years ago I used 'Don's Silvapearl, in my hybridizations efforts.  I crossed it with 'Ivory Snow' in hopes of creating some variegated seedlings.  No luck in making variegated plants, but I did produce this beauty called 'Grainger's Tanya'.  Once again, this photo does not do the plant justice, but its a thick growing dwarf with double pink-bluish blooms.  I have a lot of people claim that the colour seems to glow and is nearly indescribable as its not really pink nor blue/lavender.  I was later told by a very wise lady that 'Ivory Snow' would not make an ideal plant parent as its a fancy leaved sport, and therefore less likely to pass on variegated genes.  Oh well...at least this baby was a happy surprise.  Last year a lady bought most of stock for her wedding tables!  If that's not a passing grade I don't know what is!

'Grainger's Dark Vader'

One of the darkest near-black leaved varieties I have bred is called 'Grainger's Dark Vader'.  It seems to be a popular variety with the rich foliage and semi-double bright red blooms.  Darth Vader did have a red light sabre after all.  Who said you cant love star wars and geraniums, right?  It was named on May the 4th a few years ago...

 Massive amounts of clones are growing (Attack of the Clones?) and the bulk of my seed production begins this week. 

'Grainger's Aralia'

When breeding new pelargoniums every hybridizer has characteristics in mind that they are after in producing new varieties.  'Grainger's Aralia' was a happy surprise from breeding 'Jericho' (a tricolour stellar bred by Ian Gillam) and 'Bold Imp'.  And while I didn't get any tricolour stellars, I did get this nice dwarf golden leaved plant with double soft pink blooms.  This picture does not do it justice, so hopefully I will upload a better one in time.

Spring is here, and despite some really gloomy weather here in Ontario, things are growing well in the greenhouse.  It was a mild winter all in all, and my stock has done well.  

'Princess Alexandra' & An Update

'Princess Alexandra' is a very neat pelargonium with rounded, splotched variegated leaves and light purple semi double blooms.  It often produces ghost sports (pure white branches) and I am pretty sure this plant is a tetraploid, as it does not cross with others (in my experience at least), not to mention is pretty funky looking (I swear most tetraploids have unique foliages/growth habits).  I killed my original plant by making a foolish mistake with rubbing alcohol...never get this stuff near the roots!  Thankfully I got another cutting and currently have an ample stock of this variety growing.

I have not updated this blog for a very long time.  I apologize for the delay.  Work has been very hectic, and the fall transition of the plants was quite the chore.  The light gardens had 2 cuttings of each variety started 2 months ago, and I have since moved the duplicates of most varieties into the greenhouse and still need to space out the remainders so they have adequate air space to circulate.  I am foolish for keeping certain more vigorous varieties under lights, but as a paranoid gardener, I expect the worst when it comes to the greenhouse.

My crosses from last year are blooming and doing very well.  Many will be available next spring if I can multiply them quick enough.  There are a few new miniatures and fancy leaved varieties fortunately, and once they are listed and named I will get pictures up for you all to see.  I have one microminiature that is perhaps 2 inches tall...after a year!!!  It has yet to flower, but its so tiny that I am afraid to clone it in the near future.  I have not crossed as many this fall, but a cross of note that has set seed is 'Little John' x 'Mr Henry Cox'.  My fingers are crossed with this one.

The Ontario Club met last weekend and it was nice to talk with new members and old members whom I have not had the chance to get to know yet.  The next meeting is in February at the TBG, so I will post more information closer to the years end.

'Grainger's Humanity'

The first year a plant is hybridized and grown you never really can tell how well it will hold up.  Last year 'Grainger's Humanity' was created, and with the dark green leaves and semi-double blood-red blooms, it has great contrast value.  Over the winter months in the greenhouse, more and more people were pointing it out to me so I produced more in very limited number to trial this summer.  Well, it has held up exceptionally well.  It is a true dwarf, grows thick, and blooms profusely.  As crazy as it seems, it is not easy to get a dwarf/miniature variety with blood-red strong blooms, so this variety will hopefully spread across the country in time because I sure do enjoy it.

With the much needed rain, please make sure to check your stems and petioles for black mildew spots.  Some varieties like 'Dolly Varden' and 'Boths's Beauty' are always susceptible, but check them all.  Use a sulphur-based fungicide (Safers makes one) and lightly scrub the fungus spots off with paper towel piece that have been wet first with the fungicide.  I never cross contaminate by using small cut squares of the paper towel and throwing them out after each specimen.  Also, remove any leaves with brown botritus spots if they appear in this wet weather.  A stitch in time saves nine.

'Barbara Hines' & The Return of Rain!

'Barbara Hines' is one of the most beautiful blooming pelargoniums around.  The massive buds of pink and white cluster together in heavy bundles set against a fairly typical green foliage.  When I got my first specimen it was slow to grow as sin...I am now confident that it was paralyzed somehow (perhaps a pest like the root mealy), but cuttings after cuttings has my current stock healthy and vigorous, and I find this to be a strong grower.

Here in Southern Ontario we have had one hot, DRY summer so far.  The lawns everywhere are yellow, and only the most devoted gardeners have kept their gardens lush through frequent watering.  I have let my lawn go dormant which looks sad, but I have not had to cut it in a month!  I am also hoping the perennial weeds die, and the "dormant" turf wakes up with a greater resilience and once again becomes a thick green carpet.  Ha.  Even I dont buy this line.  I am in for a lot of work trying to get this lawn back to normal.

Today it has finally rained significantly, and even though I normally hate excessive rainfalls, I am enjoying the break in watering.  I think I have stated before that I dont let most of my pelargonium collection get rained one heavily...so last night I tarped, shuffled, and moved trays and trays of plants knowing this storm was coming.  It paid off too as the big Ontario show is in a month, and I want some perfect specimens free from any fungal problems.  Dont forget to come check out the big show at the Toronto Botanical Gardens this August 21st, 2011.

I have noticed that grasshoppers are much earlier this year, and combined with a dry hot summer this is not good.  As I recall, swarming conditions favour this.  I cant imagine saving my collections from a swarm of locusts.  What a nightmare situation!

'Richard Key' & The Summer Heat

'Richard Key' is a golden leaved pelargonium with a distinctive dark bronze zoned leaf.  The flowers are mauve, full, and complement the foliage very well.  This variety sprawls, and is likely best planted where it can cascade.  Keeping a specimen well shaped will be going against it's nature of growth.

Well the heat and humidity has hit southern Ontario.  We have not had much rain for quite a while now, and the expected downpour last night did not add up to much.  Everyone is letting their lawns go dormant, including myself.  I have not done this before and may regret doing so, but seeing as it has been so dry, and there is more than enough watering to be done with the collections and gardens, something has to give.  My fear is that the weeds will overtake the grass even more than they have already.  The worst always seems to be the grass in the boulevard...the strip between the sidewalk and the road.  What a dried up mess!  I should plant a massive amount of geraniums in there next year...I bet they would do better.  As always, the Mrs Quilter plants that went into the garden beds look awesome.  If you haven't tried sacrificing extras into the garden beds before, I highly suggest it.  As good as our fertilizers are, plants seem to find the cure-all trace elements in the garden soil and grow exceptionally well.  Just goes to show that we have a lot to learn yet about plant physiology. 

'Elmsett' & The Great Migration Home

'Elmsett' is one of the best dwarf fancy leaved and fancy flowered varieties.  It it tough, blooms all the time, and does very well under lights or in direct sun.  It is a great bullet-proof variety for introducing somebody into dwarf pelargoniums as it is not finicky and gives you a lot of value for the care required.

Every spring my greenhouse stock plants make the trip to my backyard.  This year I am retiring some plants and repotting those rarer varieties, but the end result is 100s of plants getting loaded into my car and transported to their summer vacation spot...my patios, decks, around the pool...just about anywhere I can find a spot.  My neighbours must think I am mad.  I find this a bad time to take cuttings, yet for those plant I retire, I often try some if I do not have many replacements on the go.  Juggling 100s of varieties is mind-numbing, and my greatest pelargonium fear is pitching a plant without having backup.  Always check the soil of older plant's pots for disease evidence or pests, and if you do take cuttings now, it is best to keep them in a semi-sunny at best location out of the direct heat of the sun.  And for those really, really rare tricolour plants (especially silver tricolours), keep some plants under lights indoors as backup.  I have learned that my 'Dolly Varden' plants love the shaded gazebo. 

'Bird Dancer' &Cleaning Out The Greenhouse

'Bird Dancer' is a pelargonium that I have had in my collection for a very, very long time.  My mother bought one at a garden center back in the 90s, and it sat on the kitchen table for many months slowly growing.  It was gradually potted into larger containers and I recall it getting very large...at least a foot tall!  It sadly passed away, but cuttings of cuttings of cuttings later, I still keep it growing in my collection.  It is a miniature stellar, but it can over time accumulate size.  It is also classified as a fancy leaved variety as it has a dark zone.  The blooms are pink and very thin.

Sorting out the last stock of a large greenhouse is quite the chore.  It is somewhat like spring cleaning...some plants are pitched, others given away, and some prized specimens carefully up-potted for the summer months.  I produced more than I should have, but I would rather have material to share than not enough to meet the demands of the sales.  Some people are like vultures when I am doing this and will jump on anything that hits the compost can.  I try to tell people why I get rid of certain plants but many dont bother listening...a free plant is a free plant I guess.  I suppose people like a challenge.  One thing is for certain...I have learned what not to grow so much of for next year.