Plant guide: hardy geranium

Growing conditions:

From such a large group of plants, you can find a species that is well adapted to most different conditions. Overall, though, geraniums tend to do well in sun to part shade positions, in moist but well drained soil. However, you can find varieties that thrive in deeper shade and some alpine types will do well in very

dry conditions.

Geraniums tend to be low growing, so are useful at the front of borders, growing in cracks in paving, as groundcover, or underplanting shrubs. Most do well in pots. Some varieties are very long flowering, such as the ever-popular Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and will provide blooms for many months of the year.

How to plant:

Plant in Spring or Autumn. Dig a hole the same depth as the pot and a little wider, remove the plant from the pot and position in the hole. Back fill with compost, gently firm in, and water well.

There are few plants more cheerful, robust and low maintenance as the hardy geranium. A popular garden plant for decades – centuries even! – geraniums are the perfect groundcover plant: flowering for months at a time, forming a dense mat that restricts weeds, popular with pollinators, and needing little care or attention throughout the year.

Botanical name: Geranium spp.

There are around 300 different types of geraniums, all belonging to the same genus.

Somewhat confusingly, pelargoniums used to also be called “geraniums” (and geraniums were known as “hardy geraniums” or “true geraniums”) – however, pelargoniums (the tender, often scented-leaved plant) now have their own name, and their own botanical genus. To read more about them, see our guide here: scented pelargoniums.

Plant type: Herbaceous perennial.

Geraniums live for a number of years, dying back below the ground each winter, to appear again in the Spring.

Care:

Once established, geraniums are very low-maintenance, needing little attention throughout the year. When first planted, water well for any dry periods, but after the first growing season, geraniums should have roots that are well-established enough to survive all but extreme droughts.

If they start to look a bit straggly once they have first finished flowering, you can cut them right back to the ground, and they will put out fresh foliage and possibly even new flowers before they go dormant over winter.

They can be divided in Spring to bulk out plants. See our guide to dividing plants for more info.

Uses:

Unlike pelargoniums, geranium flowers and leaves are not edible, so don’t be tempted to have a nibble!
Geraniums can be used as a cut flower, though they don’t last for a very long time in water, and the stems tend to be slightly floppy.

Favourite varieties:

● ‘Johnson’s Blue’ a firm favourite of ours, a small, low-growing geranium with deep blue flowers. It quickly creates a mat and is brilliant as a weed suppressant.

● ‘Rozanne’ is one of the best-known geranium cultivars, blooming from Summer all the way through to Autumn. It’s another blue flowered variety, that grows to about 50cm tall. It was voted the plant of the centenary at the 100th Chelsea Flower Show in 2013

● Geranium phaeum ‘Lily Lovell’ is a useful geranium that can cope with shade. It has really elegant deep purple flowers, grows to about 50cm tall, and flowers for a relatively short period between May and June.

Grow with:

Is there anything that geraniums wouldn’t look good growing alongside?! Such an adaptable plant, that can fall in with most different types of planting. Perhaps, though, especially perfect for an abundant cottage garden look; try geraniums growing alongside achillea, aquilegias, foxgloves, peonies and underplanting rose bushes, for a flower-filled, plentiful vibe.