Readers to the rescue
Two lines at the end of a column about what to plant on a dry gravel bank brought big response about the bigfoot geranium. The ones I’d read about were called Biokovo and Karmina and I said I’d love to know where to find some.
Gin and Tonic Gardener readers responded. I have no idea if anyone actually has Biokovo or Karmina, and it doesn’t matter. These two are probably cultivars of Geranium macrorrhizum, which I think is the one that’s common here, and is a species of hardy flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Geranium, Geraniaceae family. It is native to the southeast Alps and the Balkans. Its common names include bigroot geranium, Bulgarian geranium, scented geranium and, my favourite, bigfoot.
Don’t tell me you’re not impressed even if you’re confused, and even if I did paraphrase that information straight from Wikipedia. Keeping genus, species and cultivars straight is sort of like finally figuring out the difference in cousins and “removed” cousins. I do know about the latter but am still not always sure about the former.
Of course, now you can just look it up. I’m finally used to the idea that you can learn something about anything on the Internet, (as long as you realize that just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s gospel). Google can be unnecessarily upsetting and very dangerous but I think Gardening Google is pretty benign and I think I now know about as much as I need to about my new best friend, the bigroot geranium.
It’s a very useful Zone 3 clump-forming perennial that chokes out most weeds; grows in any kind of soil except wet, in full sun to shade; doesn’t care if you don’t water it even in really dry spells; doesn’t need to be cut back, or trimmed after flowering. Removing the spent flower stems will give it a neater look if you’re into neat, and will prevent any self-seeding, which isn’t a problem unless the conditions are perfect.
The flowers of the ones I’ve seen are rosy pink and come out in late spring. The foliage is described as fragrant but I have to say I don’t care for the scent. I do like the attractive red and bronze tints in fall.
It’s very prolific and Cathy, Caroline, Elizabeth and Margaret let me know they had lots. So far I’ve only made it to Margaret’s because there is no point in collecting lots of plants if you don’t know when you’re going to get to plant them.
I got to Margaret’s on a Tuesday. I had four garbage bags full and was planning to plant them on Thursday. Life got in the way and I didn’t get started on them until Saturday. I kept them sprayed and out of the sunlight and hoped for the best.
Saturday came and I was ready. It started off as a lovely day in Heart’s Content and I was as energetic as I ever am. I emptied two bags and was delighted to see that even the leaves were still in good condition, so things look promising and I am not worried about the rhizomes. I had about 50 pieces planted when the rain started.
It was a warm rain and not too heavy and I was determined to finish the top row of the banks, so I soldiered on. I’m sure the customers going in and out of Tony’s Village thought I was the proverbial person who didn’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain, but all I cared about was getting as many of those plants in the ground as I could before I was soaked through.
Even so, I had given up by the time the temperature plummeted and the hailstones started.
The next day wasn’t fit, so all I could do was have Newman empty the remaining two bags and heel in the roots with some soil and sheep manure I had on hand.
I haven’t been able to get back since and have no idea how things are doing, but obviously it doesn’t make sense to get any more transplants yet.
Maybe next week.