With slightly smaller flowers and stature, these are hardier than large, flowered hybrids and ideal for smaller gardens, especially when planted in sheltered spots.
Not only are their flowers smaller, but so is everything about the plant: neat foliage, shorter branch structure, almost dwarf by comparison.
I wonder, am I being greedy?
I have taken seeds from some of these plants and await with bated breath for the results, hopefully next year.
Last year, I saved seed from Abutilon ‘Fool’s Gold’.
A soft-orange flowered plant with crimped and folded petal edges, almost like a flared prom dress.
Only two seeds germinated, one produced quite unremarkable yellow flowers and the other one, again yellow but this time with crimped and folded petals like its orange flowered mother, quite exciting.
We grow quite a few old-fashioned Pelargoniums.
These too occasionally produce seeds and if I am vigilant and harvest these, they germinate fast if sown fresh.
Young, seed-grown Pelargoniums make large, leafy plants in their first year often at the expense of flowers.
However, if a cutting is made from the leafy growth, the ensuing plant will promptly start to bloom thus limiting the waiting period.
Of course, nothing can be guaranteed, the resultant plants may be quite inferior to the parent and in most cases they are.
But, the pleasure of anticipation is such that we deem this effort worthwhile because there is always hope!
Dahlias are a case in point, for every 100 seedlings grown, maybe only one will have potential, maybe none.
Judging this is never easy because you are biased, these plants become like your children, and you should never have a ‘Favourite’!
Growing from seed is exciting but that is just the start of the story for the resultant plants must then be trialed to see whether they are worth growing.
Questions need to be asked: how long is the flowering period, what is the growth habit, how hardy are they, in short are they worthwhile?
Be truthful, if you dare!
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