Mine have got better each year but I do find that Mrs Bradshaw and Lady Stratheden do tend to flop more than the others. The best one I have is Totally Tangerine. Still flowering after it’s initial flush and the flower stems don’t flop.
Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.
Not done well with Lady Stratheden but Fireball and Borisii are fab. They flower nearly all summer if I keep deadheading. Cosmopolitan gives a good show early in the season but gets crowded out a bit later on so I don't get a second flush. Planted three new ones this year Mr Mojo, Roger's Rebellion and Eden Valley Angel so will have to wait and see how they go.
Interesting to hear some do do ok. I nearly went for Fireball but was seduced by the claim that Firestorm had twice the flower power (ha!). As it turned out, Firestorm is too short (as would Borisii and Cooky be) as others things have grown bigger than planned and drowned it out. Perhaps I should keep it simple and use a tall calendula like Indian Prince or Radio, plus the planned addition of some orange kniphofia to complement the yellow Knips.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I have three varieties Totally Tangerine - Flames of passion and Mai Tai . I didn't dead head TT last year so after the first flush that were it, this year its been flowering since April to Mid July I cut down all the flowering stems a few days ago, I think its sending up a couple more flowers. Flames of Passion flowers once nice little flowers very short and the same with Mai Tai which has the nicest flowers out of the lot.
I don't rate Lady S or Mrs Bradshaw to leggy and from my experience and others not very long lived .
So it seems the only really reliably good, taller one is TT. As that is a bit too pale for me, I guess it’s probably curtains for the geums. Actually, I’m not that keen on the foliage either, as that is the only thing there most of the time, another reason to get rid. Don’t blame your OH floralies, they do look a bit weedy!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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I have three varieties Totally Tangerine - Flames of passion and Mai Tai . I didn't dead head TT last year so after the first flush that were it, this year its been flowering since April to Mid July I cut down all the flowering stems a few days ago, I think its sending up a couple more flowers. Flames of Passion flowers once nice little flowers very short and the same with Mai Tai which has the nicest flowers out of the lot.
I don't rate Lady S or Mrs Bradshaw to leggy and from my experience and others not very long lived .