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Re: Seaside Fumeworts, Conservatory Geraniums

On Fri, 26 Jun 1998 Tim wrote:

>...as it is with David down in Poole.
Erm no Tim, I'm in Torquay, some 100 or so miles further west.

>They do like a permanently moist (but not
>sodden) soil. Ours here is slightly acid and very heavy and clearly
>something close to fumewort heaven. If David's soil is equally
>un-sandy,

Here, it seems to grow anywhere - heavy soils or thin sand once the
seedling has formed a half decent tap root.  We get especially large
clumps growing in rotten limestone in the local walls.

>David: Always glad to find another fan of G. mad. Talking of its size:
>last summer I gave a plant to a friend who kept it in her unheated but
>south-facing conservatory. Unfortunately I forgot to tell her about
>not trimming off dead leaves and stems too closely to the main
[Snip] 
>Sa-a-ad. Now
>all she has is a huge photograph of The Dear Departed pinned up in her
>kitchen as a memento. 
Yes it can get immense indoors (the biggest I grew ran up to nearly
7ft when in flower) and the leaf stalks should really be allowed to
remain - otherwise a spectacular crash at the least convenient time is
almost inevitable.  Besides, the wigwam of petioles looks far more
natural than any feeble attempt to prop the plant up using a cane.  ).
The present plant has had several thousand flowers already and a
healthy crop of side shoots, which should provide me with cuttings. 

For fun, I've tried cross pollinating it with the rather tiny, G.
sessiliflorum 'Nigrum', which has small white flowers nestling amongst
the chocolate brown foliage.  Chances are that seed will be sterile,
but it will be interesting to see the offspring if any.

David Poole
TORQUAY  UK
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