Geranium maderense

Madeira Island Geranium beeing pollinated.

Isn't this a lovely banner! Very nice.

Incredible banner Cal!

In psychedelic colors!

Stunning banner!

Awesome!

Love the colors and the detail.

You've made a banner "extraordinaire"! The capture, cut and color is splendid.

Awesome banner!

amazing!

One of my most favorite plants....it produces a huge bouquet of blooms, and beautiful fern-like foliage.
Despite the many blooms, it only produces a handful of volunteers each year. This year, several popped up
in the pots of "Lilies de Leon".

They're very thin & spindly for a few months, but eventually have a 2" thick stalk (!), and support themselves
with the sturdy down-bending stems of the foliage, like the flying buttresses of Notre Dame.
Sadly they die after blooming, but have faithfully re-seeded each year for at least 10 years.

Slide show 2021 http://cal3d.com/NGA2021/Gmade...

Slide show 2018 http://cal3d.com/NGA2018/geran...

I think I originally bought a plant, but seeds are available here....
https://www.plant-world-seeds....

Growing info.....piece of cake.
https://www.gardenia.net/plant...

A wonderful introduction to a kind of geranium I'm not familiar with. As always, your slideshows are stunning. I was especially drawn to the ones that show light shining through the hairy stems.

arctangent said:A wonderful introduction to a kind of geranium I'm not familiar with. As always, your slideshows are stunning. I was especially drawn to the ones that show light shining through the hairy stems.

Thank you, Elizabeth!
I love seeing them backlit, too, especially in the morning, when there is light & shade.
I keep my camera ready, as the lighting changes in just a minute or two.

We first saw them lining the main promenade at Balboa Park in San Diego. I had no idea what they were,
and just "tucked it away" (not a member of NGA then).

Then probably a few years later, I mentioned it to one of the pathologists where I worked (Palomar Med Center),
and he knew the name & it's growth habit, i.e. that it dies after blooming (though it's listed as a perennial).
I was shocked, first that he knew, and second, that it only lived one year!

But had it not been for those chance encounters, I probably would never have known about them.
Now it has become a centerpiece in the garden, and we look forward to seeing it grow & bloom each year.

And joining NGA has boosted my awareness, appreciation & love of plants, and enriched us
(and Breck's, et al).

Thank you everyone, too, for your kind comments, acorns & thumbs.
Hope everyone is healthy, vaccinated, gardening or visiting gardens.
Great endorphin therapy.

Just a "few" more images by other gardeners to show uses...
https://images.search.yahoo.co...

Great banner and great info.

Obviously, this purple-ness caught my eye. What a great banner!! The pic is so clear! Thank you so much for sharing this with us gardeners.

Is it this plant? Madeiran Cranesbill (Geranium maderense)

Great images in your slideshow, Cal! And interesting information about this new-to-me plant. I like how the lower stems grow downward to prop up the plant!

lauriemorningglory said:Great images in your slideshow, Cal! And interesting information about this new-to-me plant. I like how the lower stems grow downward to prop up the plant!

Thanks, Laurie!

purpleinopp said:Obviously, this purple-ness caught my eye. What a great banner!! The pic is so clear! Thank you so much for sharing this with us gardeners.

Is it this plant? Madeiran Cranesbill (Geranium maderense)

Yes, that's it.
Hope you will try it.
If I have any seeds from the last bunch, you all are welcome to some.

Thank you very much! I am not sure I have a spot where it would do well. The database says it likes dry conditions. At times, it can rain for days here. The seeds would be better in a more suitable garden, but my curiosity is satisfied.

purpleinopp said:Thank you very much! I am not sure I have a spot where it would do well. The database says it likes dry conditions. At times, it can rain for days here. The seeds would be better in a more suitable garden, but my curiosity is satisfied.

As long as it's well drained soil, or in a 5 gal pot, it should be fine.
In fact, I never thought of it as liking dry conditions.

The DB says you can make cuttings, but it only has one stalk, and have never
seen it branch.

Still hope you will try it. I think it's always better to try & fail, than
to miss growing a plant that is so rewarding as this one.
Nothing to lose & lots to gain.

If you want to try it, just give me your mailing address, and I can put some seeds in an envelope
for you. I may even have a seedling in the garden you can have. I had to transplant 3 few of them
last week when I found them in pots of tree lilies.

I spent a lot of time yesterday & today weeding, amending, and transplanting.
Still have more transplanting to do tomorrow while it's still cool.......dahlias, glads, rudbeckias, hollyhocks, 2 roses, plus sow seeds.....marigolds, cosmos, cleome, and others I can't remember.