What's wrong with my Geranium phaeum?

Hi All,

My Geranium phaeum has done far better this year, more floriferous and with a longer flowering period. But flowering is ending now and what seems to be some sort of fungus is affecting it, this problem appeared at the end of the flowering period last year, too! The leaves look absolutely fine during the flowering period and then this happens. What is it and should I be worried? I have eleven different types of hardy geranium and this doesn't seem to be affecting any of the others!

Thanks,

Nick

 

I don't think you should be worried @Nikolaos ..Just needs cutting back hard,a feed and lots of lovely new growth should appear within a couple of weeks.

 

I agree with lolimac....I don’t know what it is either, could guess, but with all my hardy geraniums they benefit from being cut back ...every bit of foliage....and lightly mulched. A bit of fertiliser too and a watering seems to work wonders.
Phaem is slightly different to most geraniums in that they like it slightly damper....I grow Margaret Wilson here and I tend to water it now and then

 

Thanks for the replies guys, yes I think you're both right, probably best to remove all foliage. I'm wondering if congestion may be part of the problem here as it only has a 1 ft sq space to grow in really, and phaeums like to spread out further. But the flowers look so lovely in the sun and it's 'native' (or rather, the first non-native introduction) so I wanted to keep it there, about 20 flowers open consistently through the flowering period. Perhaps best to shift the thing later and put something more showy and longer-flowering in that space that doesn't want as much room to spread.

BTW, nice choice of phaeum cultivar Verdun, similar colour to 'Lily Lovell' which is another phaeum I have growing in my garden. No need to water phaeums here in my heavy clay, my friend.

Thanks again,

Nick

 

You are absolutely right about space and congestion Nikalaos....most geraniums do like plenty of space.
I have a few here that have a spread.....Ann Folkhard, Rozanne for example...... of 2 metres plus.
Not really a plant to be squeezed in