After I posted a shot of the above seedling Geranium, Scott, of Rhone Street Gardens, asked what was the best Geranium for fall foliage color. I will now answer that question in my best lawyerly fashion: it depends.
If you like orange, it's hard to beat Geranium 'Bob's Blunder'.
The dark espresso leaves turn a warm orange.
Another good orange is the foliage of Geranium macrorrhizum.
But as can be seen from the photo, there's a lot of yellow in there too.
The foliage of Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise) is chartreuse for most of the growing season, but in autumn, it turns bright yellow and red.
 |
| autumnal tones of Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise) |
It's still blooming.
Its cousin Rozanne (Geranium 'Gerwat') displays four colors at once, the fading green, yellow, orange and red.
 |
| Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne) in full autumn color |
But, as I told Scott at the time, the best, most consistently colorful Geranium for autumn foliage is the native G. maculatum.
Its red leaves shine like a beacon in the sunlight, and on cloudy days provides spots of interest among the dried, fallen leaves.
 |
| G. maculatum with the dried foliage of Smilacina racemosa a/k/a Maianthemum racemosum on October 22 |
* * *
Here's a late addition.
It shows the difference between Geranium maculatum on the left and Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower' on the right.
*Pelargoniums, which are often called geraniums, are not related to any of the plants in this post and are not hardy here in Zone 5.
22 comments:
How interesting - a glance out the window confirms that none of my hardy geraniums have any color other than green - maybe there's a slight reddish tinge to the edges of 'Purple Pillow' but that's it. Macro and Rozanne are green green green - maybe due to the October rains? I don't have the native - looks like one to find!
Gorgeous colors - my favorite is Geranium macrorrhizum. I didn't know that geraniums could be so colorful in the fall.
Geraniums in my gardens are annuals that I sadly bid adieu to after the frost. Their leaves do turn a gorgeous color of red. I always pick my favorites to spend the winter in my home by potting them.
Wow... Bob's Blunder just keeps getting better. I'm so excited to grow it next year!
They are all splendid, MMD! You make a good case for them. :-)
Frances
I would never have thought of geraniums for fall color, but maybe that's because the only two I have are pretty puny this year. But, wow, what gorgeous foliage you have! I really am going to have to look for 'Bob's Blunder.' Every time you've featured it, it's looked lovely.
I see that you have ghosts in the garden too. The geranium leaves are marvelous. I will have to go out to look at mine to see what colors I have.
They are all lovely shades for Autumn. I wonder if any of them will grow here....?
I think we are so busy looking upwards at the autumnal leaves we miss the autumn colour at our feet. I have really noticed the colour my perennials have this autumn
That does it. Gorgeous fall color on top of everything else? I NEED 'Bob's Blunder' in my garden, even though I have no space left for it!
I never realized maculatum had such great fall color!
Ooh, I didn't know my Rozanne geranium was going to give me a fall foliage show! It's still blooming and green for now, but I'll look forward to fall colors too.
I love hardy geraniums, they are such wonderful all year round garden plants. Mine are ridiculously late changing colour this year, all still green. 'Bob's Blunder' is going on my wish list.
Geraniums here can't stay outside in the winter here so I like it when a geranium carries on being green but one leaf decides to change colour and become interesting all on its own. It gives an element of surprise and characterfullness - and a hint that it might be time to be making indoor space for it to hibernate.
Having said that, I envy you some of these. I'm window shopping in your pictures!
I’ve now used all the allotted space for photos on Pictures Just Pictures and have started a new blog so I can carry on. It’s called
Message in a Milk Bottle
http://messageinamilkbottle.blogspot.com/
I’ve given it a different look but its purpose is unchanged - a photo a day.
Lucy
Lovely fall colors, indeed. It makes me wish I could grow them here.
Beautiful fall foliage
I like G. maculatum. it would be great to have on my garden
They really are quite lovely in the fall~I have a few, not as many as I would like, but, just added
Bioskova~Hoping it can survive the winter rains! gail
What beautiful Fall colors. I never even considered geraniums for fall interest.
Cyndy - all our clear skies have done wonders with the fall colors despite the lack of rain here. So you're probably right about your cloudy skies delaying the color of your Geraniums.
Phillip - G. macrorrhizum is my least favorite because of the scent. Deadheading it makes me ill.
Meredehuit - You should try some of the hardy Geraniums, as opposed to the Pelargoniums. Some bloom all summer.
Greensparrow - 'Bob's Blunder' just gets more impressive with time. Give it a lot of room, maybe draping over a retaining wall?
Rose - good luck finding 'Bob's Blunder'. I got mine at The Flower Factory, just south of Madison. I recommend a road trip next spring.
Patient Gardener - I'm a big fan of perennials with good fall color. There are so many.
Blackswamp Girl - yes, you Need it.
Lucy - good luck with the new blog. I resize my photos to 640 pixels to save room on Picasa.
Thanks so much for this post...I LOVE IT! This was really informative and, well, just plain beautiful. You've pretty much convinced me that I need MANY more of every kind :-)
I have a collection of perennial geraniums, too. I don't remember most of their names. One of them spreads more than the rest, and I have to dig some up each year to keep it from going too far. I think the only one we have in common is Rozanne.
I think I should go out and find some more. My problem is remembering which kinds I already have. Maybe I'll do a post on them, too, and someone will recognize what they are.
I love geraniums and Bob's Blunder looks like a must-have. Every shot you've ever posted of this plant is terrific.
Post a Comment