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geranium maderense

Posted by Andy_SA South Australia (My Page) on
Thu, Sep 20, 01 at 8:22

My geranium maderense is about three years old, quite large, but hasn't yet flowered. Any ideas...?


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: geranium maderense

It should be budding up now, unless you have it in too dark an area. Mine are just about to bloom and they are a few years old. Many are seedlings of one original plant. Geranium Maderense is a very rampant seeder and you will find lots of baby seedling once your does decide to bloom. Dont cut the massive flower head off, let it self sow and you will have many for years...hope this if some help, Regards from Wendy Sargeant.


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RE: geranium maderense

My maderesne is only a year old, and is not flowering yet. Perhaps they take a year or two to settle in before flowering.


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RE: geranium maderense

I tend to give my plants the 'three strikes and you're out' treatment. My maderense was on the last try. Planted it in full sun, as against morning sun and partial shade, and it grows a treat. The older leaves tend to go yellow in our stinking heat but I leave them on to protect the new shoots coming up. I also give it a fortnightly treatment with seasol spray and a monthly feed with my own home grown worm poo. I believe it self seeds like mad but I have experienced this yet!


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RE: geranium maderense

I am not familiar with this geranium name,but one thing that makes my geraniums happy is black tea..
Maybe there is too much nitrogen in the soil and not enough potassium and phophorus.
Just a thought ............
Sam


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RE: geranium maderense

  • Posted by Andy_SA South Australia (My Page) on
    Sat, Apr 20, 02 at 20:00

Thanks to everyone for their advice. The plant in question snuffed it about a week ago, after remaining flowerless for well over two years. I've decided it was a "bad lot" and will try again when I see some sedlings in the Hills' markets.


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RE: geranium maderense

I'm sure that Geranium maderense is a 'loose' bi-ennial plant which must take at least two years before it flowers. Some can take longer than two years and act in a similar fashion to Echium wildprettii and Echium pinnana.


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RE: geranium maderense

Glad of the advice because I have a couple too not a year old yet.


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RE: geranium maderense

Also I think they do need sun!! Mine are in shade,growing beautiffully,but not even setting flower heads. Judie


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RE: geranium maderense

I have grown these geraniums in south-east Queensland and they always flowered in their second year. The tag said full sun but I was advised to plant it in a position with morning sun only. In summer they got a bit scraggy but always came good. They produced many self sown seedlings that were gladly received by friends and family. Theflowers are very spectacular and well worth the wait.


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RE: geranium maderense

This geranium is listed as a biennal by Diggers. I have a small onein a pot and it is currently only a small shoot, very sweeet, aaaaahhh


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RE: geranium maderense

I had been growing the maderense for 7 years... I covered the bare ground under my pine trees with them. They flowered profusely..part shade, part sun.


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RE: geranium maderense

Eureka!! mine has just flowered. Out of the 6 or so in different spots in the garden,theone in the cornr of the Fern garden has broken into flower. I wonder if the others will eventually do the same. Judie


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RE: geranium maderense

Some of my plants would flower every other year, which left green plants among the ones that flowered. They get really spindly looking after they flower. You can cut them back, leaving an ugly stalk, and growth will be forced out at the shorter location below the cut. I would suggest not to cut off those long dry stems. They actually turn towards the ground and act as 'legs' to hold up the large flower head. To clean up the plant a little, just cut off the large brown leaves at the end of those dry stems. It makes the plant look a little better. I am assuming your fern area
is acid soil? Now that you have a flower, you will have many seeds that will germinate all over.. and you can just take the seeds off the flower pods too. Good luck..they are great plants.. Are you in the US? I will be moving to Wyoming and wonder how my Maderense will do there. Rose


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RE: geranium maderense

Mine are flowering now,and have a lot of seedlings.
This was taken a couple of weeks ago it has a lot more flowers now.


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RE: geranium maderense

  • Posted by Bibis United Kingdom (My Page) on
    Fri, Nov 7, 03 at 17:43

I grow Geranium Maderense in London and Brighton Uk. I gather they are not very hardy here but I just get away with it by putting old net curtains over them in really cold weather. Mine are in pots. The first one didn t flower for three years but it really was worth the wait- a veritable shower of pink fireworks. I now have two more which I think will flower next year- weather permitting. It seeds itself very easily- even in cracks in my paving stones. I keep giving babies to friends but they all seem to lose them in the cold weather- they do seem to appreciate their net curtain coats.


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RE: geranium maderense

Another one has just started to flower, this time,under a snowball bush, Viburnam sterile?. The colour is amazing, can see it through the trunks etc of other plants Judie


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RE: geranium maderense

  • Posted by Andy_SA South Australia (My Page) on
    Sun, Nov 9, 03 at 22:35

I'm jealous!


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RE: geranium maderense

I've moved to Wyoming... and brought my geranium maderense with me.. It's been very hot here, but we have a huge covered porch, where they have been living for the last 6 weeks/ come winter, I will move them into the garage and will take it from there.. It's a long one, they won't see much until next May..


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RE: geranium maderense

I grew some from seed (Digger's) that grew well until the summer then they died. I had them in full afternoon sun. What a mistake. I've just some searching on the internet and it seems bright shade, at least in Sydney, is the way to go. I read in one place that they can grow up to 5' tall and are definitely biennial and sometimes even perennial. I'll sow some more I think.


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RE: geranium maderense

Does anybody have any spare seed they are willing to trade? regards


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RE: geranium maderense

Hello =)

I have seeds, please message me if you are interested :)
Regards
Michael


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RE: geranium maderense

  • Posted by
    perennial_girl
    (perdy@mts.net) on
    Sat, Mar 22, 08 at 18:48

This is such a cool plant. Michael do you have any spare seeds to trade?


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