Some of my Geums (Mrs Bradshaw) are starting to flop over. If I "Chelsea chop" them, cutting all the flowering stems right back, will they send up another flush of flowers?
I grew some of these years ago but gave up because I couldn't find any way to stop them flopping. I think that if they send up a second lot of flowers, these will flop just the same. I have seen them grown successfully packed in with more robust plants that hold them up but this didn't work in my windy garden.
They do tend to be quite floppy plants. If you don't have shrubbier, woody plants to support it, you'll have to put in a physical support of some kind.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Yes, the geums which are in-amongst other plants are fine, but there are one or two that have nothing to prop them up. They looked great for weeks but now the flowering stems of those couple are almost horizontal. I don't want to support them because it looks so ugly (I stake/hoop other plants like lupins, achillea and perennial sunflowers because the foliage soon covers the ugliness of the support).
I think I'll cut back the flowering stems of just one or two of them as an experiment..
Edit: @Sheps your supports look great and definitely non-ugly! Where did you get them from?
It's ok @borgadr I know they don't look great up close but, from a distance they're just about acceptable and they're are at the top of a very long garden, plus I was tired of snapped stems, so a small pice to pay to keep the flowers.
The supports came from Wilkos and cost £2.50 for a pack of 3.
They're lovely plants, but I too give up on 'em because of their floppiness. Maybe they need poorer soil so they grow with less vigour and remain shorter.
I couldn't do without them. The dots of colour they give when most of the rest hasn't started flowering yet really makes the border look good in May. This year's lesson for me is to keep them growing "in amongst" other things. Even if I were to cut them all back now (which I won't) they'll have done a sterling job, and they don't use up much real estate in the border
They'll certainly be floppier in richer soil. They don't need fed either.
I don't feed plants in the borders (except roses and anything I hacked back mid-season). But I did mulch the soil with 2 inches of well-rotted horse manure over winter (maybe that's why!) and only because the soil was looking grey and tired.
But that's a good tip. I won't feed the guinea-pig geum I hack back
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It might be worth trying a plant support if you can't put other plants around, l used one like this.
https://www.homeandgardenextras.com/garden-pride-grow-through-plant-supports-round-p323/s2086?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=garden-pride-grow-through-plant-supports-medium-green-size-medium-colour-green-size-medium-colour-green-1851m-rt-pc3&utm_campaign=product+listing+ads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_ajzoNqL-AIV9YxoCR2rjQo8EAQYBCABEgLDjvD_BwE
I don't want to support them because it looks so ugly (I stake/hoop other plants like lupins, achillea and perennial sunflowers because the foliage soon covers the ugliness of the support).
I think I'll cut back the flowering stems of just one or two of them as an experiment..
Edit: @Sheps your supports look great and definitely non-ugly! Where did you get them from?
The supports came from Wilkos and cost £2.50 for a pack of 3.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
But that's a good tip. I won't feed the guinea-pig geum I hack back