GBG Note No. 10

The geraniums planted here were developed by breeders at Goldsmith Seeds Inc. in Gilroy, California. Goldsmith's cutting propagated geranium cultivars include the 'Americana' series and the 'Eclipse' series. These geranium cultivars were developed for the North American market with the needs of both greenhouse growers and home gardeners in mind. They have a plant type that is more vigorous than the recent European introductions while having a better, more compact form than the traditional American lines.

We received these geraniums as rooted cuttings on April 8 from Glasscorner Greenhouse, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Glasscorner Greenhouse is specialized in propagation of seed and cutting geraniums. The plants were distributed by WeHoP (Western Horticultural Products, Inc.), a wholesale company located in Kent, Washington. The geraniums were transplanted from the oasis wedges to 4-inch pots when we received them and planted in the botanical garden on June 8.

The interest for using geraniums in flower beds, landscaping and hanging baskets is increasing among greenhouse growers and the public in Alaska. WeHoP and Goldsmith Seeds Inc. are committed in supplying plant material to Alaska. However, they want to be able to provide plants capable of performing well under Alaska conditions. The growth performance and disease tolerance of the following cultivars are determined in this study.

Cultivars from the 'Americana' series:

'Americana White'-pure white flowers, more vigorous growth habit than other whites
'Americana Pink'-clear rose-pink flowers, nicely zoned foliage, stocky and well-branched
'Americana Scarlet'-rich scarlet colored flowers, deeply zoned
'Americana Cherry Red'-unique deep red flower color, multi-flowering on compact, branched plants

In addition to these four cultivars, eight other 'Americana' cultivars are available in flower colors of Light Pink, Rose, Cherry Rose, Red, Light Salmon, Salmon, Coral or Violet.

Cultivars from the 'Eclipse' series:

'Eclipse Light Salmon'-pastel salmon flowers, deeply zoned, dark green foliage, compact plant habit
'Eclipse Red'-true red flowers, foliage is dark and deeply zoned, plant habit is more vigorous than typical dark leafed varieties

The 'Eclipse' series includes two more cultivars with Salmon Orange or White flowers at the present time. Additional cultivars are in the process of being developed and Goldsmith Seeds Inc. plans to introduce several new unique flower colors in the 'Eclipse' series over the next few years.

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This page was last modified on September 27, 2006 by GBG web editor