THERE’S a reason why the common pink and blue blooms of Cranesbill geraniums are so popular. Cranesbills are cuckoos, and if your neighbours have them then it won’t be long before you do, too.
All flowers in the geranium flock, including Alpine erodiums and South African pelargoniums, possess beak-like seed capsules which, when dry, will fling the kernels far and wide. This ability to migrate is obviously very useful, but cranesbills go one further – and just as a cuckoo tricks a meadow pipit into caring for a supersized chick, cranesbills will bamboozle us into believing that they belong.
With the extra garden time on my hands, I’ve been putting most of these wayward but willing flowers to good use (see the panel below) but in my greenhouse there’s a cranesbill that’s a cuckoo on stilts – quite literally.
Last summer, when the seedling from a neon pink Geranium maderense​ arrived in the raised greenhouse bed, I took it under my wing, clearing space on either side and worrying for the little mite when the weather was cold.
Denne historien er fra May 30, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
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Denne historien er fra May 30, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters