RHS Garden Hyde Hall - Dry Garden- Puzzle No. 2

[ideasguy]

Heres a lovely plant at the base of a dry wall.
I couldnt find a label. Do you know what it is?

Location: The Dry garden
The plant is located at the bottom right of this photo:


and heres a close up:

[Palustris]

That is an Erodium , but the naming of them is such a mess that it is very difficult to do. I grow a fair number of hybrid ones.

[ideasguy]

Thanks for the suggestion Eric. I'd say you've got it

Only two Erodiums in the plants list in that Dry Garden
Erodium chrysanthum   which is pale yellow
and
Erodium 'County Park'  (Pink)

So, 'County Park' it is

I'm kicking myself here. Ive another photo of another specimen of 'County Park' taken in the Hyde Hall dry garden. I'll be publishing a set of web pages soon, and both specimens will be featured.

Well done, and thanks a lot.

Now, on the subject, thats a lovely little plant, and that and Erodium chrysanthum are well worth a try in the garden.
Our US members will be interested to know they are hardy perennials suitable for Z5-9

Do you grow any of these, Eric? Of the hybrids you grow, are there any you'd like to recommend?

If they do as well as the ones Ive grown from seed - Erodium manescavii  - then they will outlive me!
They are real tough hombres.

Some interesting links I found:
http://themeadnursery.co.uk/liste.html   
and here we go wandering again... its a lovely web site!!!

http://www.robsplants.com/plants/ErodiChrys.php

http://www.robsplants.com/plants/ErodiManes.php

[Palustris]

E. chrysanthum I cannot keep, but would certainly recommend any of the others. Don't think any of them are long lived plants other than E. manescavi which can be a bit of a seed weed. E. Natasha is rather nice. I am trying at present to propagate all the ones I have from cuttings. Have done it before, but a long time ago. I did have a lot of ones I grew from seed, but they seem to have died out. Too many plants you see!

[ideasguy]

Thanks for the info Eric.
I didnt realise how valuable these Plant ID exercises would be.
We get to know about other plants in a Genus that we havent been aware of before (speaking personally of course) - in this case some very nice and very garden worthy plants - and we get practical tips from experts.

RE:

E. manescavi which can be a bit of a seed weed.

Not too much of a problem in my garden. My complaint is it gets a bit untidy - sprawling.
It needs room, otherwise it flops over neighbouring plants, so Ive learned not to plant anything dainty in close proximity.
Currently, I will have an Erodium manescavii flopping over a Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'
I dont know how that plant get the "giant" tag. Its very pretty, but diminiutive!

On the plus side, that Erodium boyo flowers very early and just keeps on blooming.

Do the other Erodiums youve tried have this long flowering period?

[Palustris]

They don't do too badly, though not as long as E. manescavi, but the foliage is nice and they are more mound forming than floppers. Will post some pics when I have processed them.

[ideasguy]

Thanks Eric. That will be much appreciated