Product Description

Hardy geraniums were the first plants to shrug off the rigours of her coastal climate and grow in Birgitte Husted Bendtsen's garden every bit as well as they did in the fertile, sheltered plots further east in Denmark. Add to this their tolerance of dogs and children, resistance to pests and diseases, interesting foliage, and delightful flowers in a wide range of colours, and it is little surprise that Birgitte developed an insatiable passion for them. In this book, she shares her knowledge of cultivating the plants and highlights the most garden worthy species and varieties. Expert cultivation advice, including comments on soil preferences and hardiness, is followed by fascinating information on pollination, and failsafe propagation secrets. Captivating colour photographs display key characteristics of hardy geraniums including their legendary range of flower colour and intricate, often highly marked, foliage. Here readers may marvel at the many cultivars of Geranium x oxonianum, enjoy favorites like Geranium 'Ann Folkard' with its striking black eye against magenta background, and covet the fine-leaved, blue-flowering Geranium himalayense. Smaller varieties ideal for growing in rockeries, containers and troughs are described along with perfect geraniums for associating with roses of all colours. Birgitte Husted Bendtsen communicates like a true enthusiast and the text is peppered with interesting anecdotes including news of an exciting variety that is prized for its blue flowers and modest stature. With over 400 species and hybrids of hardy geraniums and 450 beautiful colour photographs, this book is both rich in information and beautiful to browse. It is a long-awaited reference that will delight seasoned enthusiasts and introduce a whole new generation of gardeners to the charms of the hardy geranium.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #361360 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-17
• Original language: Danish
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Review
Avid gardeners with a passion for geraniums will relish Gardening with Hardy Geraniums as [an] in-depth survey of geranium varieties.Bookwatch, August 2005 (Bookwatch )

A first-class reference book describing over 400 geraniums, including many of the latest cultivars. The photographs are excellent, detailing both flowers and leaves for quick and easy identification of plants, the descriptions clear and concise.Sue Tasker, Professional Gardener, April 2006 (Professional Gardner )

The faultless photography offers a botanist's ideal of blossom and leaf varieties. ... This spectacular work should find a place on library shelves and in the hands of home gardeners and horticulturists.Mary Ellen Snodgrass, American Reference Books Annual, March 2006 (American Reference Books Annual )

About the Author
Birgitte Husted Bendtsen first became interested in hardy geraniums as a young member of the Jutland Garden Society in her native Denmark. Once hooked, she resolved to learn more, and she now holds a comprehensive collection. A skilled photographer and gifted writer, Birgitte Husted Bendtsen contributes articles on a range of gardening subjects.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Species and Hybrids Isn't it amazing that bees can definitely distinguish between a geranium and a salvia, or another flower in the garden, when I consider how long it took me to learn to recognise the most common garden plants? But bees do not always distinguish between species within the same genus. So a bee may transfer pollen from one species to another, making it possible for two species of cranesbill to be crossed with one another and form a hybrid. If the hybrid is found in a garden where several species of geranium grow, you cannot know which are the "parents". If a plant has appeared in a group of self-sown geraniums, perhaps you can tell which is the "mother" but not the "father". Such hybrids are therefore simply called Geranium followed by a name that says nothing of the species involved, for example Geranium 'Spinners' or G. 'Ann Folkard'. The name can be chosen by the owner of the plant or the nursery launching the plant. In a few individual cases, where two species often cross, botanists have chosen to give the progeny a common "surname". You then call the seedlings Geranium one or another name that has been adopted, which refers to the relevant crossed species. For example, it has been decided that all geraniums that have G. versicolor and G. endressii as parents are to be called G. oxonianum. One of the most common cranesbills in Danish gardens is of this type, namely G. oxonianum 'Rose Clair'. Geranium versicolor and G. endressii will, when planted close to each other, have many "children" together. It is questionable whether it is possible to purchase pure species of these two geraniums. In any case, it is pretty certainly an oxonianum geranium that hides behind the name G. endressii at nurseries. Geranium sanguineum, the bloody cranesbill, on the other hand, almost never crosses with other species. This is because G. sanguineum has 84 chromosomes, whereas the majority of other geraniums have 28. In nature, the obstacle in forming hybrids is not just a difference in the number of chromosomes. There is often what we call a geographical obstacle due to the fact that species grow on opposite sides of the world. In the garden, things are a little different. Here, we have plants from North America growing next to plants from the Himalayas. Many hybrids have thus been created in gardens. However, many of the hybrids are sterile and cannot form seeds. A familiar example is G. 'Johnson's Blue', which for the same reason flowers for a long period. It constantly "waits" for pollination and fertilization and continues to form flowers. In order to see which species are closely related to each other, scientists, particularly at the University of Cambridge, England, have tried to cross many different species of Geranium. Nursery people and gardeners have also worked on the same task, but here the aim has been to create good garden plants. As a taxonomist at the University Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Peter Yeo, has worked on the classi

Customer Reviews

Gardening with Hardy Geraniums
I have looked long and hard for a really good book dedicated to these fabulous plants. This is an excellent book for those wanting to learn more about perennial geraniums - and how to best utilize them. The author has really done an outstanding job at demonstrating the foilage of the geraniums and the blossoms for each plant with excellent individual photos. I am so tired of looking at black and white drawings of plants - this book has gorgeous colour photos galore. Can't say enough good about the quality of this book and the information within it. If you haven't ever tried these workhorse plants in your garden - this book gives you the knowledge to have success .....they are great plants and it's a great book!!!!!!