PerennialsDiscover the right perennial plants for your garden.
' Rozanne ' geranium . Photo by : Walters Gardens , Inc.
One of the easiest ( and toughest ) perennial to develop , hardy geraniums have attractive lobate foliation and loving cup - form flowers in a range of a function of colour . Also sleep with as cranesbill geranium , the genus is named for the Greek wordgeranosmeaning Harold Hart Crane , in reference to the berrylike seed heads that resemble the read/write head and nib of a Hart Crane .
“ Hardy geranium are praise for their hardiness , decorative trait and landscape versatility . Whether your sake dwell with aboriginal plants or alien cultivars , there are hardy geraniums for every garden,”says Richard Hawke , Plant Evaluation Manager atChicago Botanic Garden .
Hardy geranium plant have a humiliated , clumping or spreading growing substance abuse , forming a dense carpet that is utile as a undercoat book binding , in mass plantings , as edging , or containers . Native to temperate regions worldwide , these low-pitched - maintenance garden flora are easy to grow and adaptable to dissimilar growing conditions . Geraniums are well-nigh maintenance - free once set up , and resistant to pests and disease . The nectar - rich flower are a source of food for butterfly stroke , bees , and other insect pollinators . discover out more on how to develop and use dauntless geranium in your landscape painting .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Varieties|Frequently Asked Questions|Design Ideas
BASICS
Botanical name:
Geraniumspp .
Common names:
Geranium , cranesbill , hardy geranium , repeated geranium
Plant type:
Herbaceous , semi - evergreen or evergreen perennial
Zones:
3 - 9 , depend on the variety
Exposure:
Full Lord’s Day to shade off
Habit:
Upright , mounding , creeping , or clumping habit
Mature size:
3 to 36 inch tall , 1 to 3 feet wide , with vining types that grow 3 to 6 understructure farsighted
Bloom time:
Late spring to fall , calculate on the mixed bag
Foliage:
Leaves are profoundly lobed or dissect , occurring in colour of green , bronze , purpleness , amber , and chartreuse . Some variety have fall colouring material .
Flowers:
intrepid geranium come in a range of flower colors admit white , pink , Battle of Magenta , lilac , blue , and reddish blue . The dish antenna - shape blooms are 1 to 2 inch wide and number in exclusive or doubled forms .
' Boom Chocolatta ' geranium . Photo by : Proven Winners
" If you are look to plant something that definitely makes a statement in the garden , as well as sizing , you may consider giving Boom Chocolatta a effort . It ’s also very pollinator favorable for those of you who are looking to make a pollinator garden,”‘Boom Chocolatta ' Geranium video recording , Heidi Grassman , Garden Crossings .
HOW TO PLANT CRANESBILL GERANIUM
When to plant:
fearless geraniums are best planted in fountain after all risk of hoarfrost is preceding in your arena . This will appropriate an entire growing season for plant life to become established .
Where to plant:
Choose a site with full to partial Sunday and well - drained soil . Some potpourri can support moderate to full shade but may not blossom as well .
Soil:
Plants can tolerate a range of grime conditions , though pack mud or other soil case with poor drainage can lead to source putrefaction or other disease . brave geraniums grow well in moderately fertile , well - drain soil with a slightly acidic pH between 6.0 and 6.5 . For containers , apply a mellow quality all - intention potting mix .
Planting:
Loosen soil in the planting arena and amend with compost or other constituent matter to tot food and improve drain . moil a pickle double as wide and slightly recondite than the root chunk . Remove the plant from its nursery pot and lightly tantalise out roots if potbound . Place the plant in the hole so the top of the root ball is at ground storey or slightly higher than the surrounding soil . meet in the planting jam with soil and softly tamp down to murder melodic line pocket . Water plants regularly until established .
Spacing:
Space plants 1 to 3 feet aside , depending on the variety .
CRANESBILL GERANIUM CARE
Watering:
Hardy geranium plant life prefer moderate to low moisture . Some varieties aredrought tolerantonce found . let plant life to slightly dry out in between tearing . Provide more water during protract heating system and dry magical spell . void overwatering to prevent antecedent rot , powdery mildew , and other diseases .
Amendments and fertilizer:
flora that are grown in moderately rich , well - remedy ground necessitate little or no supplemental fertiliser , If grunge is miserable , lend oneself a balanced slow - button granular fertiliser in former spring . Mulch around the base of plants with a sparse layer of compost to provide nutrients , suppress weeds , and hold back moisture .
Pruning:
In other spring before new growing emerges , remove any dead growth from the previous time of year . When plants are finished blossom , they can be sheared in mid - summer to stimulate new ontogeny and rebloom .
Dividing:
Hardy geranium will live longer and be healthy if divided every 3 to 5 years . If the center of the plant give out out , it ’s time to divide . This can be done from other spring to early summer . dig out up clump and cut into several sections . Amend grease , replant and water on a regular basis until establish .
Pests and diseases:
When develop in the right conditions , brave geranium is live to most pests and disease . gadfly includeaphids , budworm , caterpillars , sawfly , weevil grubs , slug , and escargot . disease include foliage spot , powdery mildew , root rot , and rust .
TOP CRANESBILL GERANIUM VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners
' Boom Chocolatta’—Buy now from Proven WinnersGeranium pratense
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full sunlight to part sunHabitUpright mounding habitHeight / spread:24 to 26 inch tall , 28 to 30 in wideBloom time : Early to late summerColor : Bronze foliage , blue - purple flowers
This striking variety feature chocolate - bronze foliage and vivacious blue - purple flowers for stunning contrast in the landscape painting . ‘ Boom Chocolatta ’ has a improbable stature with a clumping substance abuse and analyze herbaceous leaves . plant life in full sun for salutary foliage food colour . Contrast with green - foliaged plants in a mixed edge or cottage - style garden .
" I just do it the grim foliage with the vivid gloomy heyday . Also happy that the neighborhood rabbits leave them alone ! " — New York gardener .
picture by : Walters Gardens , Inc.
' Rozanne’Geraniumhybrid
Zones:5 - 8Exposure : Full sunlight to part sunHabitSprawling habitHeight / spread:1 to 2 substructure tall , 2 to 3 feet wideBloom metre : previous springtime to former fallColor : Green foliage , purplish - blue peak
This award - gain ground variety has the longest bloom meter of any hardy geranium . “ The hybrid ' Rozanne ' is a standout performer , blossom non - stop all summertime and well into fall , ” notes the experts at the American Horticultural Society . The large 2 - inch blooms are vivid violet - blue with a white center , produce atop mound of inscrutable immature marbleised foliage . Add to a mixed border or mass in the landscape painting for long - lasting colouring material .
exposure by : Iva Vagnerova / Shutterstock
' Biokovo’Geraniumxcantabrigiense
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeHabitMounding habitHeight / spread:6 to 12 inches magniloquent , 12 to 24 inches wideBloom prison term : Late give to mid - summerColor : unripened leaf , white flowers
This accolade - winning variety , native to the Biokovo Mountains in Europe , has a mat - forming wont , rounded semi - evergreen leaf , and clean flower with showy deep pinkish stamen . The aromatic light-green leave acquire hints of red in fall . plant life digest some drouth but perform in effect in plenteous , moist soil . Use as a priming book binding or as perimeter edging .
exposure by : Imladris / Shutterstock
' Ann Folkard’Geraniumhybrid
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeHabitTrailing or crawl habitHeight / spread:16 to 20 in tall , 3 to 6 foot wideBloom time : former spring to early fallColor : Golden chartreuse foliage , Battle of Magenta blossom
This unique variety has a vigorous trailing growth riding habit , with brilliant gold new leaves that switch to chartreuse in summertime . Cup - shaped Battle of Magenta - pinko peak have a deep majestic - black oculus , offering striking contrast to the brilliant foliation . allow for this sprawling plant to grow up through rosaceous bushes or clamoring through a miscellaneous border . forefend planting in deep shade , which will make leaf colour to fade , and render some afternoon shade in hotter climates .
Photo by : Alex Manders / Shutterstock
' Ballerina’Geranium cinereum
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeHabitMounding habitHeight / spread:6 column inch grandiloquent , 12 to 18 inches wideBloom time : former spring to early fallColor : gray-headed - green foliage , pinkish and purple flowers
‘ Ballerina ’ has a neat mounding habit and dissected gullible leafage . The pale pinkish flowers have deep majestic veining and sum for striking line . expend this midget potpourri in John Rock gardens , in aggregate planting , and as border or pathway edge .
photograph by : Nahhana / Shutterstock
' Birch Double’Geranium himalayense
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full Sunday to partial shadeHabitMounding habitHeight / spread:9 to 18 in tall , 12 to 24 inches wideBloom clip : other summer to early fallColor : greenish leaf , purple flowers
‘ Birch two-fold ’ is a unique variety with a rhizomatous Master of Arts in Teaching - take shape drug abuse and double violet - pink flower that resemble miniature rose . The deeply serrate green foliage deform shades of red and orange in fall . utilization as a sensational focal percentage point in a container , rock candy garden , or bed .
Photo by : Peter Turner Photography / Shutterstock
' New Hampshire Purple’Geraniumxsanguineum
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeHabitClumping habitHeight / spread:18 to 24 inches grandiloquent and wideBloom meter : Late spring to summerColor : Green foliage , pinkish flowers
‘ New Hampshire Purple ’ has a clumping habit , forming a harmonious pitcher’s mound . mystifying Battle of Magenta - pink flowers seem in recent spring , with minor , dissect leaves that gain hint of red in fall . habituate this tough heat and cold - tolerant multifariousness in mass planting , as edging for pathways and borders , or along a slope for erosion control .
CRANESBILL GERANIUM FAQ’S: CARE, BLOOMING, AND MORE
What’s the difference between tender and hardy geraniums?
While both apportion the common name of geranium , hardy geranium ( Geranium ) is a long - subsist fearless perennial that survives over the winter in most grow zone ; while tender geranium ( Pelargonium ) , a strong time of year tender recurrent native to temperate and tropical regions of South Africa and Australia , is stout in USDA zones 9 - 12 . This popular cosmetic plant life is most often grown as an annual in container , or as a bedding plant .
Are hardy geraniums deer resistant?
Hardy geranium has a aroma or savor that deer regain distasteful . Some sort are more cervid resistant than others . Quick tip:“Geraniums are generally fairly cervid repellent and rabbit resistant , and those with the unassailable fragrance to their leaf are the least appetizing to hungry grazers,”say the expert at the American Horticultural Society , Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening . See moredeer - resistant plants .
Are cranesbill geraniums toxic?
While one-year geranium ( Pelargonium ) may be harmful , hardy geranium are look at non - toxic to darling and world . intake of any case of non - edible works may cause soft stomach distress if eaten in large amounts .
Do cranesbill geraniums need deadheading?
Deadheading spent flowers is tedious and offers few if any benefits . The entire works can be shear after bloom to upgrade new emergence and bloom .
How do you keep cranesbill geraniums blooming?
For optimal flowering , plant in a site with full to fond sun and moderately rich soil . Provide regular body of water and prune plants back in mid - season for a new flush of flush . Too much water or fertilizer may ensue in few flowers . Planting too deeply may prevent plants from bloom .
Should cranesbill geraniums be cut back?
In mid - summer , crane’s bill geranium plants can be cut back to rush new foliation ontogeny and flowers . Heather Blackmore of Here She Grows shares hertips on lop hardy geraniums:“Don’t be afraid to cut it back hard . Whatever you do , you ’re not going to kill it . What you ’re telling the plant to do is you do n’t want it to set seed , you require it to flower . ”
Do cranesbill geraniums spread?
Some varieties of hardy geranium have a clumping riding habit , while others will spread out . Give plants enough room to reach their full fledged size of it .
Are cranesbill geraniums invasive?
Some varieties may self - seed but are not considered invasive . seedling can be transplant into other areas of the garden .
GARDEN DESIGN IDEAS WITH CRANESBILL GERANIUMS
Hardy geranium is a various decorative plant with many uses in the landscape painting . Here are some ideas :
For borders and landscape : habituate this versatile ornamental plant in a mixed mete , bungalow garden , rock garden , woodland area , mass planting , as border , or a ground cover .
For slope and hillsides : : Many unfearing geraniums have a dense creep or spreading riding habit that is effective for wearing away control along a slope .
For containers : pocket-size to intermediate - sized hardy geraniums can be embed in pot . Allow enough way for the origin to grow .
Companion plants:
prefer companion plants that thrive in similar growing conditions of full to fond Dominicus , better territory and moderate moisture . sturdy geraniums are usually used as an underplanting to rose Bush . Other familiar include astilbe , aster , beautyberry , columbine , ferns , hosta , hydrangea , lady ’s mantle , lavender , pansy , peony , pepperbush , phlox , sedum , salvia , sweet alyssum , and sweetspire .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Loughrey is a seasoned garden author and photographer with over 25 year of experience , bestow to major publications likeGarden Design , Better Homes and Gardens , andSunset . A former Master Gardener , she bestow hands - on expertness from garden in a wide range of climates , from upstate New York to the Pacific Northwest .
