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CASCADING GERANIUMS

by Jeff Jones

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CONTENTS

Planters page 2

Background 9

Streetscapes 11

Pelargonium Peltatum 13

Vandals 19

Propagating 30

Soparcos 31

Watering 32

Fertilising 33

Insect Control 34

Orientation 35

Impact 36

Tall Pots 39

Drums 40

Potting Mix 41

Ode to Geraniums 42

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DRUM PLANTERS

Natural partners with

Cascading Geraniums

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TALL POTS

As Cascading Geraniums

growth habit is to hang down,

as the name implies, low

conventional pots are not

suitable, much taller pots are.

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HANGING BASKETS

Traditional method for

growing and displaying the

popular Cascading Geranium

family

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PLANTERS

I approached the Committee of Boulder

Promotions and Development, of which I was a

member, with a proposal to grow Cascading

Geraniums in the old strip shopping precinct of

Burt Street in Boulder, and they agreed to

support my plan.

Conventional planters are used in streetscapes

to grow a great variety of annual and perennial

plants. However these planters are generally

too low to show the cascading geraniums to

best advantage so I decided our planters

should be a minimum height of 80 – 100 cm.

I settled on

recycled 200 litre chemical drums as they are

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readily available, made of strong non-corrosive

material, and not expensive. When full of soil

they are very heavy which would make them

unlikely to be stolen. Another advantage is

that because of the depth of soil in the drums,

there would be plenty of room for the roots to

grow and the plants would not dry out quickly.

Planters are on show 24/7 365 days of the

year, and these tall planters which are 100 cm

tall, would put the plants in people’s faces and

give plenty of room for the plant to cascade.

This booklet is about placing these drum

planters in a streetscape setting.

There is an alternative to the recycled plastic

drums as planters and these are purpose built

and made locally but much more expensive.

THE BURT STREET PLANTERS were

jointly designed by Scott Walker and myself

and are proving to be both attractive and

practical.

The City Council of Kalgoorlie-Boulder have

committed the funds for the construction and

installation of fifty five of these planters. At

the time of writing two thirds are already in

the street. They are powder coated of steel

construction and dyna bolted to the

pavement. The colours of grey and burgundy

match the other street furniture.

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The first of the new planters went in some

twelve months ago and has not been damaged

in any way. Once they are all installed and with

a good head of geraniums in flower they will

be a great feature for the old town of Boulder.

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BACKGROUND

Seventeen years ago I started to grow upright

Zonal Geraniums in Kalgoorlie in Western

Australia. I was managing a caravan park for

my family at the time, and decided to grow

plants around the caravans and against the

fences to bring colour to soften the harsh lines

of the dry red soil. The hardy geraniums with

their bright flowers quickly achieved the

desired result.

In time I retired and specialised in Ivy

Geraniums, Pelargonium Peltatum. Within this

large plant family are a few cultivars that

cascade freely. This booklet is about cascading

geraniums. I will use their common name

throughout.

Cascading Geraniums are a unique plant that

has masses of small single flowers over long

periods. They prosper over a wide climatic

range from the inland of Australia to the

window boxes in Switzerland. They are easy to

grow and do not require dead heading, making

them self cleaning.

I have grown them in streetscapes, the race

course, cemeteries and other non-domestic

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situations, and have been fortunate in being

able to grow large numbers in some difficult

situations with the support of the City of

Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This booklet is primarily

about streetscapes. This is a subject I have

gathered some expertise of, both from my

own hands-on experience, and also from

having seen them magnificently displayed in

the streets and market places of Europe. The

experience I have gained I feel should be

committed to paper.

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STREETSCAPES

Streetscapes involve many components,

principally the buildings and their use. Retail

Centres fall into two main categories (1)

Supermarkets surrounded by large areas of

bitumen paving for car parks and (2) Strip

Shops, that have been passed by time in favour

of the big centres. Many of the Strip Shopping

Precincts are struggling – however some are

staging a comeback, due to considerably lower

rents. They have become home to second

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hand bookshops, antique shops, coffee shops,

specialty shops and so on.

These Strip Shops are interested in Planters

and Street Furniture for Alfresco Dining etc.

The place of plants is important as they can

improve the ambience and give the precinct

character in a way that a Supermarket cannot.

Hence my interest in cascading geraniums in

these situations. This is not a new concept,

many places in the world already have well

developed streetscapes with flowering plants.

Putting plants into these precincts is frought

with problems, they are on show 24/7 365

days a year and not many plants can put on a

show and play in that league – Cascading

Geraniums can.

Shopkeepers love flowering plants outside

their shops.

Customers like shopping in a floral

environment.

Street side cafes and coffee shops do vastly

better with their tables and footpaths.

Alfresco dining is huge in places like Paris and

you can see why. Flowering plants give a

carnival atmosphere.

A happy street is a win win situation.

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Pelargonium Peltatum &

Heat Tolerance

There are some five hundred different cultivars

of Ivy Geraniums that have been hybridised

over the last 150 years. In this family of plants

is a small group of long flowering plants with

single flowers that cascade freely.

These plants do not become dormant with the

onset of hot weather, they flower throughout

summer, daily temperatures out to 44 degrees

centigrade don’t concern them. Their flowers

stand up like soldiers and don’t wilt. This year

2013 we had a day or two at 47 degrees – they

didn’t handle that well. In some cases 25% of

the plants facing west were severely burnt.

The normal European bred zonal or ivy in

Kalgoorlie will stop flowering in mid-November

and not start again until May.

Cascade Geraniums have been extensively

used in Europe, in window boxes on balconies

and in hanging baskets. Unfortunately they

cannot survive below freezing winters and are

either taken under cover or replaced each

year.

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Pelargonium Peltatum, the original species

originated in South Africa which has a similar

climate to large parts of inland Australia.

Where we live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia,

we have some plants twelve to fourteen years

old (as above), because we don’t have the

problem of freezing winters.

For simplicity I will use the common name of

Cascade Geranium as that is how they are

widely known. I will give a brief description of

the cultivars I have grown and had most

success with.

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Ville de Paris

With its glowing orange/red flowers, in

group plantings is a memorable sight.

This high performance cultivar can flower for

nine to ten months year after year. This plant

has few equals and creates a powerful

colourful image.

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Decora Rose.

This cultivar is an old favourite: in France

it’s displayed in urns at the Palace of Versailles,

the Chateaus along the Loire Valley, and

elsewhere.

The flowers when they first open are a

dark pink, fading to a light pink as they age.

The two tone effect of complementary colours

in Drum Planters is a pretty addition to any

streetscape

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Lilac Cascade.

As the name implies the flowers are lilac

in colour, that is a pale mauve/blue, a

universal favourite with the fairer sex.

Lilac is a restful colour in a streetscape, we

have grown them in pale blue painted Drum

Planters and these have attracted many

complimentary comments.

Long flowering, tough, no vices, what more

can you ask?

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Ville de Dresden

Heaps of white flowers, a vigorous plant

that will stand, and needs, pruning.

Ville de Dresden can be planted with other

cultivars, however it tends to take over.

Flower Power Ville de Dresden can be a strong

addition to a streetscape, and provide variety.

There are another six or seven Cascading

Geraniums that I don’t have at this time. Most

have been hybridised in the big German

Nurseries.

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VANDALISM

Some Strip Shopping Precincts that have

Hotels, TAB’s, Fish and Chip Shops, Video

Shops, Convenience Stores etc., all open after

dark, and are places where young people ‘hang

out’, present a serious problem of vandalism.

If vandalism is a problem for street plants the

easy solution is ‘Don’t put plants there’.

However as the character of these places can

be considerably improved with the addition of

flowering plants, I have found that it’s worth

the effort and expense, and the end result is a

plus for the community.

Vandalism of plants is WAR between the

Vandals and the Gardeners. I have developed

some strategies and solutions, as I have been

exposed to this situation.

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The main planter we have used is the 200 litre

recycled chemical drum. The main problem we

have had with these is that Vandals can push

them over, and they do. One terrible day we

had ten pushed over and lying on their side in

the gutter.

As the City’s Senior Horticulturist said, “If you

are going to stress over these attacks you will

end up bitter and twisted. It goes with the

territory. Simply repair damage ASAP and

don’t let the vandals win.”

We have solved that push over problem, one

at a time is manageable.

When preparing the drums for the street, we

open them, undercoat paint, put holes in the

bottom for drainage, and at the ground level

we cut a slit on both sides with an angle

grinder, and pass a 70 cm length of 75 x 3 mm

flat steel through, protruding 70 mm each side,

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then drill a hole in the steel each side and

insert a Dyna Bolt. When bolted down, the

keenest and toughest Vandal is unable to push

them over as they are now ‘un-pushoverable’.

(see photo)

The purpose built Planters come with lugs for

Dyna Bolting.

Vandals come in many shapes and sizes, if I

seem preoccupied with them you are right, I

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am. Out of the 100 drums over the first 2 year

period I replaced approximately 400 plants.

Drums that have small young plants were

vulnerable as, after dark, some people simply

took them home to their place, probably less

than 20%. Once the plants were well

established they were too big to steal, then the

really serious vandals took over. This group

pulled the plants out and threw them on the

ground or pushed the drums over. We tried

replanting them but they didn’t prosper, so we

replaced them with fresh plants the next day.

Cascading Geraniums are long lived but slow

growers. Sometimes, if I was short of plants I

would replace them with Petunias, they grow

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quickly, have plenty of colour and a small root

system. I would plant them in conjunction with

young cascading geraniums, once the

geraniums were sufficiently well established

the petunias were consigned to the bin.

Initially the drums were full of soil but if it was

necessary to replace a drum, they were very

heavy (300 kg with wet soil). I used a small

Hyab on my little water truck Furphy, for this

task (photos).

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Faced with these problems I successfully

experimented with 50 litre big plastic pots (see

photo) and called them ‘implants’. I grew sixty

or so in the nursery and when established dug

half the soil out of the damaged drum and put

an implant in.

The implants were a major break through, they

can be easily interchanged by two men, they

are heavy enough not to be stolen, and they

can be rotated if the plants under a shop

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awning are growing one way and out of

balance.

Full drums in high damage areas, were then

history and simply became planters to provide

height for the geraniums to cascade and at

that height, nearly a meter, the plants were

shown to their best.

Next problem, steal or pull out and drop.

I set out

to provide the plants with some sort of

protection. Cars have seatbelts, boats have life

jackets, bike riders have helmets, yet I am

putting plants ‘out there’ without protection.

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I devised a method to anchor the plant in the

implant, to the other two plants in the implant,

and to the soil in the implant.

I

make a round tube out of 50 x 50 mm garden

mesh 250 mm in diameter and 350 mm high, I

call this tube a ‘core’. Into the empty implant I

stand the core and slowly add potting mix then

plant three plants in the core at the top. As

these three plants grow their roots penetrate

the mesh on all sides, effectively binding the

lot together. After three months they are

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ready to put in the street and the plants are

relatively secure.

I call these plantings being ‘damage

minimised’.

I did a trial planting of 38 implants and by early

November of 2009 I had most of those 38

implants in the street.

Diary entry 1.11.09

“Another rampaging Friday night, ended

up with some damage to some of the

drums. However damage to the ones

with damage reduction was manageable.

Those few plants won’t need replacing as

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the crown and roots held. I am now sure

that damage minimising does work.”

Diary extract 6.3.2011

“Walked Burt Street today and checked

the drums that had damage minimised

planting. Found 37. I only had 38 to start

with. Some in poor condition, most

reasonable. I can certainly highlight this

experiment.”

In the intervening 17 months the plants have

suffered a dramatic change in management, a

heat wave, and a severe earthquake. Plants

were not a high priority.

Why is damage minimising so successful?

Apparently when vandals try to pull the plants

out all that happens is that some branches

snap off – and they don’t get a big kick out of

that. The damaged plant still has roots and

crown unaffected.

If the implant is severely damaged it’s easily

swapped with another implant, it’s on the

interchange bench for 2 – 3 months, had some

TLC, a quick drink of Thrive, then back at the

coal face.

I have been frustrated by damage to plants

and it makes you wonder what motivates

these people, but I consider myself lucky to

have had some of these problems and have

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been able to solve them. Most gardeners

would not get an opportunity like that, and I

now know I can put plants into streetscapes

and I know the positive impact they will have.

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Propagation

Cascade Geraniums strike readily from

cuttings, which is a cheap and convenient way

to reproduce plants. I generally take cuttings in

March/April, and I have not found the need for

hormones.

I prefer tip cuttings 100 mm long

approximately, cut just below a node. I remove

leaves from the bottom of the stem and leave

2 or 3 on top, to provide the cutting with some

nutrients as it strikes.

The propagating mix I use is red sand collected

from the bottom of a winter creek, mixed

50/50 with Pearlite.

I put the cutting in 50 mm

round pots 50 mm tall in

Masrac trays which take 24 at

a time. I water from the

bottom by filling the tray with

water as needed.

Two months later I lift

a little pot out, if roots

are showing, they are

potted on. (see photos).

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Soparcos

Ivy Geraniums are difficult to

handle in a nursery as their long branches

become hopelessly intertwined.

The French have solved this problem, and

produce a plastic basket that fits over a 120

mm pot (see fig.) called a Soparco.

However it’s only available in

one size, so when the plant

has outgrown the 120 mm

pot, it’s time for its

permanent position.

Soparcos have a very important role in my

little nursery.

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Watering

Watering plants in a streetscape presents

its own problems. I have had shop keepers

offer to do it – time has shown that with the

best of intentions, they are unreliable, I

suggest – don’t go down that track.

Initially I watered from 2 x 200 litre drums in

the well of my ute, at that time there were

only 25 drums in place for a six month trial.

This was possible using buckets. The trial was

successful, approval was given to put another

75 pots into Burt Street, making a total of 100,

so I purchased a utility with a water tank and

pump specifically to water them.

100 drums required about 1500 litres twice a

week in summer.

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The water truck needed to be in the street by

6am before there was too much traffic or

parked cars.

Testing to see how much water is needed

involves putting the hand into the implant. If

it’s moist it’s missed, if it’s dry it gets a good

drink, it’s easy to overwater geraniums.

Fertilising

As plants in a streetscape are on display

365 days a year they need to be at their best

all the time.

Cascading Geraniums are high performance

plants who will respond to regular feeding with

hot fertilisers.

I use Thrive General Purpose in the water tank

at recommended rates once a month for two

months, the third month I use Thrive Flower

and Fruit which is high in Potash and

stimulates flowering.

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Insect Control

The two insects that cause problems for

Cascading Geraniums are White Fly and Mealy

Bug. I used to spray them when I saw an

outbreak, probably not quickly enough, as

once they are established they are hard to get

rid of, and we didn’t think that the spraying

was all that effective once the plant had a big

head of foliage.

Reg, one of my

associates, came up

with a solution that

works. As soon as a

plant is showing signs

of insect attack, we

respond immediately.

We carry the gear on

the water truck at all

times.

The method – 6 drops

of Confidor Concentrate

Insecticide in a little 1 ½

litre watering can, and

douse the plant with

the 1 ½ litres – maybe a

second treatment in a

couple of days and no

further sign of insects.

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Orientation

Plants in streetscapes are effected by

shadows from buildings and verandahs – a

problem for Cascading Geraniums as they

require a minimum of six hours sunshine a day

to flower. They will grow with less, but not

flower.

Burt Street runs due East to West, so the

plants on the South side have plenty of sun,

the North side under verandas is a problem

except where there is a break in the verandas

and some sun can sneak through.

The trajectory of the sun must be understood

when siting plants. In Burt Street at the

Summer Solstice 21st December, the sun does

not rise 90 degrees due east but 122 degrees

and sets at 58 degrees, so plants on the north

side get morning sun and afternoon sun.

However from 21st March Equinox to 21st

September the exact opposite happens and

they receive no sun at all.

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Impact

It is remarkable the difference in the

ambience of a street these plants can make, as

they are such a powerful visual feature. A few

drums widely spaced do not have the same

impact as plants positioned 10 – 15 metres

apart.

The use of Planters of Cascading Geraniums is

brilliant in Municipal and Commercial

situations, but out of place for domestic use.

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Tall Pots

As more people live in high rise

apartments and people use balconies and

patios much more, gardens change and plants

for these areas are increasingly important.

I have been experimenting with Tall Pots. The

traditional use of Ivy Geraniums has been

Hanging Baskets on balconies where their

branches can cascade. To use this plant’s

attractive features we have planted them in

tall pots 35 cm x 80 cm. They are showing

promise. This will add to their flexibility as they

can hang down, which is really an extension of

our Drums/Planter, and they can add colour to

these areas over long periods.

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SOURCE OF DRUMS

Re-cycled drums are readily available in Perth

for $22 - $25. In the Yellow Pages is a list of

suppliers under:

‘DRUM MFRs RECONDITIONERS AND/OR

DEALERS’.

PAINTING THE DRUMS

I experimented with different external paints,

and have settled on an undercoat of White

Knight Grip-Lock Primer, followed by two coats

of White Knight Paving Paint (acrylic). It has

proved to be a hard wearing paint, and there

are about sixty colours on their chart, so a

colour can be selected to suit most situations.

Drums are easily opened with a jigsaw.

FILLING THE DRUMS

Firstly holes are drilled in the base for

drainage. Then some broken brick or coarse

road base is put in the bottom for drainage

(150 mm). Then some free draining soil for 2/3

of the drum, topped up with a bag or two of

good potting mix. Best filled in position as they

are heavy to move around when filled, planted

and watered.

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POTTING MIX

I have a concrete mixer and blend my own

soils.

I go bush and bring back a ute load of Red

Loam dug up around stands of native wattle

(acacias).

The loam is heavy and sets very hard but has

good moisture retention properties.

As the Red Loam has little organic material, I

purchase Soil Improver from a local supplier.

My mix is two shovels of Red Loam, one shovel

of Soil Improver 2 or 3 litres of water and half a

cup of Scott’s Osmocote slow release fertiliser,

all purpose landscape formula.

End result a ph. of 6.5 – 7.

The geraniums appear very happy with this

mix.

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ODE TO GERANIUMS

The lowliest member

Of the Plant Kingdom

Is the humble Geranium.

Why is it so?

Bright flowers

Through the seasons

Hardy as hell

Break a piece off

Give to a friend

Put that piece

In the Ground

And shortly

They’ll have a clone

Spread a bit of sunshine about

People identify with plants

They have propagated themselves

It’s so easy

It’s a miracle.

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This Booklet was written and

published by

Jeff Jones 281 Dugan Street Kalgoorlie Western Australia 6430 Phone 08 90215633 Mobile 0438215632 Email fj_jones@bigpond.com 16th April 2013