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Pelargonium endlicherianum summer dormancy?
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Posted by bubba62 7b (My Page) on Tue, Jun 30, 09 at 3:22
| I planted 2 healthy plants of Pelargonium endlicherianum in a large container filled with scree-type soil this spring, and in the last two weeks, all foliage has yellowed and dropped from the plants. The stems seem to be turgid and green, which leads me to believe they've gone into some kind of a summer dormancy. I know they're from the Southern hemisphere, and that all pelargoniums here tend to slump during the longest, hottest days of summer, but none of the others drop every leaf. I'm keeping it on the dry side for now and watching carefully, but can't find much cultural info on the plant. Any thoughts on this behavior? |
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RE: Pelargonium endlicherianum summer dormancy?
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| They arent from the southern hemisphere but from Turkey and Iran. Mine go dormant over the winter only. They may not be fully hardy for you |
RE: Pelargonium endlicherianum summer dormancy?
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| P. endlicherianum is endemic to Turkey (not found in Iran) and inhabits mountainous territory where winters are very severe, but summers dry though because of the altitudes only moderately warm. I have been growing this species since 1978, both in Brooklyn, NY and, for the past 20 years, here in the high-altitude desert of New Mexico. Plus, I have studied this species in Turkey (and have written about it for the International Geranium Society). As pellie_grower stated, it is not summer dormant. In Turkey plants in the wild were in full bloom at the end of July with foliage intact. Moreover, the plant is subzero Fahrenheit hardy--in my garden it has easily survived minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit; some places where it grows in the wild experience temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees F. and even colder. Often with snow cover, but not always. One thing it does not like is long-term excessive summer heat which is the biggest problem I have had with it in New Mexico as our summers are long and very hot. Here it grows best in shade with only a little water now and then. It grows very well up in Colorado, and I am told it is a feature of a number of gardens there. One caution: P. endlicherianum is not a good candidate for growing in the house (unless an alpine house)as it needs temperatures on the cold side to induce winter dormancy--like many cold-hardy herbaceous perennials. Without winter dormancy,the plant usually lasts only a few years. Otherwise it is a very long-lived plant. In the wild it grows on a variety of soils including limestone, basaltic, serpentine, but is found mainly in limestone screes and in loose conglomerate rock. A curious cultural note: in some parts of Turkey it is a medicinal plant, used as an anthelmintic. |
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