Geranium yoshinoi

Has anyone else here grown Geranium yoshinoi?

I grew mine from seed that I bought, which said they grow 6 inches tall and with numerous one inch flowers, which I thought would be perfect.

I grew it in pots, at the start of this year, and in one big pot it has only just started to flower in the past few weeks, small quite pretty bright pink flowers but not an inch, more like a centimetre. It is early days yet, and it might flower profusely next year.

I couldn't find much out about it online, and one blog describes it as weedy and of uncertain naming.

I have some other hardy geraniums, which have much bigger flowers and not such abundant leaves. This is nothing like those.

I am not sure if I like it or not, and I am especially concerned that it could become invasive if I let it grow in the open ground. I don't know how it spreads, but if it spreads by underground rhizomes I think I might just rip it all out and put it down to a bad choice. There seems to be so little information about it. Maybe I keep it in pots for now and see what it is like next summer.

Maybe I am not sure if I like it because I don't have a lot of space and was expecting something with a higher flower to leaves ratio rather than a lot of spreading leaves that could take over smaller plants. It is bigger than I expected. It might suit somebody who wants weed-smothering groundcover or a big woodland garden. The leaves are attractive and it has an architectural presence. I was just expecting something ground hugging and covered with good sized flowers that would get along with similar plants and not suffocate them.

Maybe a lesson to be more careful what I plant.

 

@groundbeetle I have grown this from seed a couple of times. Unfortunately I have no photograph, if I get time I will see if I can get a photo later today (assuming I can find a plant)
The seed I grew from has had the following description for about 20 years now: "From Honshu, the main island of Japan, comes this attractive and useful species, fairly new to cultivation in this country. An excellent plant for ground cover under trees, it forms a creeping mat of attractive, small, marbled leaves and bears over a long period from summer into autumn numerous, one inch, bright pink flowers veined with a deeper shade. 6ins (15cm)"
Hardy Geraniums by Peter Yeo says the following about G yoshinoi "Stiff perennial to 60 cm with spreading upper branches Flowers medium sized (18 - 23 mm) white to pale pink with darker veins"
Personally I would go with Yeo and his description seems to match your pictures fairly well.

 

I had a hunt round and found a plant labelled as G yoshinoi in a pot. It had finished flowering a while ago and needs a bit of TLC. However it appears to be low growing with leaves unlike Yeo's description and your photos. It actually looks quite like the description given for the seeds I grew.
Reading further in Yeo it is possible that I have G thunbergii misidentified as G yoshinoi. Yeo does mention that RHS Wisley received seeds(from Japan) labelled as G yoshinoi that turned out to be G thunbergii. Perhaps flowers next year will shed some more light.