Anyone grow Geranium 'Crystal Lake' or other G. wallichianum?

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Posted by ispahan 6a Chicago (My Page) on

Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 13:09

I have two Geranium wallichianum 'Crystal Lake' (aka 'Chrystal Lake', not sure if it was named after a person) in my garden that were planted last year. They never seem to do much. They just look sparse and weak, growing painfully slowly and never seem to be interested in blooming. I have them in two separate locations in partial sun (sometimes approaching full sun) with ample supplemental water and soil amendments. Soil is very well-drained sandy loam on the alkaline side.

Is this in general a fussier variety or does it just not like my conditions? This has been an amazing geranium year for me, so I am not sure what the problem could be.

I have read that Geranium wallichianum can languish in "hot" conditions due to its native environment high in the Himalayas, and yet Chicago Botanic Garden trials rated the selection 'Buxton's Variety' as three stars (good).

Can anyone provide insight? I will soon be trying to germinate seeds of 'Syabru' and wonder if they will have a decent chance of performing well in my climate.

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RE: Anyone grow Geranium 'Crystal Lake' or other G. wallichianum?

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Posted by audrey z5 PA (My Page) on
Sun, Jul 14, 13 at 14:07

I have geranium wallichianum Buxton's Blue. It usually doesn't bloom until late summer, and has the best blue color under cooler conditions. It tends to be more lavender-ish in hot weather. Mine doesn't bloom heavily, but I like it anyway, since it blooms after all the other hardy geraniums have quit.

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