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Geranium spessart not flowering

cork gardenercork gardener Posts: 85
in Plants
Hi 
I planted a few geranium spessart in different parts of my garden this spring. Those in part shade are looking very healthy and have put oon a lot of foliage over the year, those in full sun (and a drier bed) are much smaller. This makes sense to me but the strange thing is none of them have had a single flower all year. All other plants (various different perennials) in both beds have flowered as expected. 
Any ideas?

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited September 2022
    @corkgardener I planted G White Ness early spring in shade I had just two flowers. Perhaps they just need to settle. New plants have had a stressful time this season, not flowering is a way to keep going when things are tough.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • cork gardenercork gardener Posts: 85
    That's what i was hoping Suze, just strange that no other perennials (all newly planted this spring) suffered the same problem
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Out of interest @cork gardener, what size were the G. spessart plants you planted in spring?  If they were either bare root or in less than 1 litre pots they may have been putting all their energy into root and foliage development, as @GardenerSuze said above.  Another possible cause of non-flowering for some perennials is high nitrogen levels in the soil - but I'm sure you would know whether you've been too generous with feeding!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • cork gardenercork gardener Posts: 85
    hi plant minded they were all 1 or maybe 2 L pots. Certainly a decent size. I don’t think I over fertilised them 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited September 2022
    @cork gardener I think all you can do now is wait and hope that next year you get better results. If we have a better season I am sure flowering will be fine. I have never known a mature Hardy Geranium not flower. Once your geranium has settled it can be good to cut back hard after flowering, with water it will start to regrow in a couple of weeks. It will stay a neat tidy plant into autumn. Also lots of free cuttings which strike easily. You can also leave it to enjoy the little cransbills but it will be more untidy as season progresses.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • cork gardenercork gardener Posts: 85
    Hi Suze
    yes I 'll have to wait til next year to see. The foliage is attractive so they're still quite nice plants event without the flower. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @cork gardener Not sure what we would do without G macrorrhizum, I have always thought it a useful plant for dry shade. I think it will continue to prove it's worth in drier summers.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Can I ask how the spessart and White Ness panned out. Did you get much flower this year?

    Thanks

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Fire Sorry I don't have an update as I moved house. I do think that the position it was in although shady, was too wet. It had grown but not enough to take cuttings. When I left my old garden I did take fifty plus pots with me. I didn't want to disrupt too much as the garden had been a good friend to me over the years.
    Yes I would buy White Ness again whether it has the same vigour as the pink forms not sure. Sometimes plants with white flowers don't seen to do so well but not sure why.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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