White geraniums/pelargoniums weaker than colored ones?

[pronker]

For two years, my sister and I each nursed a white geranium along. We live 200 miles apart. She has the greener thumb, but hers died and so did mine despite all tries to encourage them. Our other pinks, purples and scarlet ones did wonderfully well with amazing flowers each year and constant growth to their maximum spread in the same environment

Comments

[beesandbrews]

White roses or shasta daisies? Some nursery chain was advertising all white gardens earlier this year. I think they were calling them moonlight gardens. You might get a few ideas from searching those out.

[virginiadear]

Could it have been White Flower Farm?
They used to use photos of only white-blossomed plants (in bloom) when they advertised in magazines 'way back when. It gave this reader the impression that white blossoming flowers or shrubs was all they carried, but today you can clearly see in their website images an abundance of a variety of colors.

They're in Connecticut, OP, but I bet they'd be helpful or could refer you to someone closer to you who can be helpful.

www.whiteflowerfarm.com

[beesandbrews]

I think it may have been Park or Wayside Garden, actually. I got a lot of catalogs this past season, and didn't do more than flip through most of them.

[virginiadear]

I get only two catalogues: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I'm certain almost anyone else on this community knows more about flowering annuals or perennials than I do....

[pronker]

I checked out the link, thanks. Such beautiful flowers, including peonies! My idea of a white peony could spring from that farm, if peonies were zone 9 instead of dropping out at zone 8. :S

[virginiadear]

Very sorry about the zone....

But I seem to recall, a bit more than a decade ago that White Flower Farm had some truly gorgeous Orienpet lilies, in white. Eventually found Orienpets, white ones, locally (for me); a friend bought and planted some and they were simply staggeringly tall and magnificent.

[pronker]

White roses appeal; my other roses are red. Similar to the story of the white geraniums weakening and other colors thriving is the sad tale of a windstorm blowing down the 50 foot backyard fence and crushing red, pink, yellow, and white established tree roses, with only the reds coming up from the bottom to survive. Shasta daisies might be too little and short for me to see from the kitchen window. :)

[beesandbrews]

The rootstock of many roses, whose name escapes me, is red. Maybe that's what survived. But Iceberg comes in a climbing form, amongst others, so maybe you could go that route. They developed white sunflowers, maybe you could plant some of those during the summer. (With a ghost pumpkin for groundcover.)

[pronker]

Good morning. A note to say I planted a "French Lace" white rose in the desired spot on March 4th. It thrives thus far.

[beesandbrews]

That's great! Congratulations!

[pronker]

Thanks! I'm enthusiastic about seeing it bloom, maybe not this year, but we live in hope.