Hardy geraniums are the hardworking workhorse of gardens the world over, yet perpetually mistaken for its glamorous younger sister. The oft-quoted favourite plant of so many, known for its universally nostalgic scent and cheery colour palette, is in fact taxonomically the Pelargonium – technically a different plant altogether. Although both geraniums and pelargoniums both belong in the Geraniaceae family, they were separated into separate genera over 250 years ago, and while the pelargonium may boast a cult-following and legions of high-profile fans and collectors (Carole Bamford and Veere Grenney are both aficionados), it’s the hardy geranium that truly deserves a place in everyone’s garden.
The word geranium comes from the Greek geranos, meaning “crane”, because the seed head resembles the head and beak of a crane (hence the common alternative name “Cranesbills”). There are over 700 varieties of them, ranging from the much-lauded RHS Plant of the Centenary, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, to Geranium robertianum, a beautiful – and some would say unfairly labelled – common weed. Their hardy, unfussy nature and ability to thrive in modest circumstances has afforded them cameos in literature and folklore throughout the ages, where they bestow fertility upon couples in middle age and offer a rather more prosaic remedy for gout.
Today, there are few gardens that wouldn’t benefit from their long-flowering, easy-going charms. In the words of the late garden writer Margery Fish, pioneer of the cottage garden, “when in doubt, plant a geranium”. And not just in cottage-style schemes – Piet Oudolf selected no fewer than three varieties in his Perennial Meadow at Hauser & Wirth, and they are just as at home in a small urban plot belonging to time-poor professionals as they are in grander locales.
Part of their enduring appeal is that they are extremely easy to look after and require very little fuss, self-seeding happily and filling in gaps that others might not. Many will be perfectly happy in partial shade (e.g. all phaeum varieties), but if you’re blessed with a dry and sunny spot, alpine geraniums are your answer. Nodosum varieties, on the other hand, are extremely handy for every gardener’s nemesis – dry shade. Meanwhile, pratense varieties (from the Latin pratensis, meaning “of the meadow”), can be found living in verges and cracks in pavements and have a brilliant combination of fine delicate features with a look of the wild about them.
They can be planted at any time of year and are available as bare roots throughout the autumn and winter. Once they get going, you can cut back in early summer or after their first flush – you will be treated to a second later in the season. And then, come autumn, you might be able to divide the plants and dole them out to other appreciative parts of the garden. Or to lucky neighbours.
Here are some of my favourites.
The best geraniums for colour
Geranium sanguineum ‘Ankum’s Pride’. For the maximalist gardener, almost neon-pink flowers tumble among pretty palmate leaves. These would also pack a punch in a pot.
Geranium hybrid ‘Dusky Crug’. Cool pink flowers against a rich bronze mound of foliage: a rather grown-up colour combo.
The best showstopper geraniums
Geranium psilostemon ‘Catherine Deneuve’. Glam by name, glam by nature, these deep fuchsia star-shaped flowers dance above a lush low mound of foliage.
Geranium pratense ‘Cloud Nine’. Fully double flowers of the palest lilac, this variety looks fab with the rich velvet petals of Chocolate Cosmos or near Anthemis for a 1970s colour palette.
The best geraniums for foliage
Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’. Not only does this have deep, sultry maroon leaves, it also has wonderful chocolate markings on the foliage, which look great in shady spots or pots with Euphorbia x martinii.
Geranium ‘Margaret Wilson’. Violet-blue flowers with beautiful white and green stained leaves, like a bowl of watercress soup with cream stirred through it.
The best geraniums for shady spots
Geranium phaeum ‘Mourning Widow’. As the name suggests, this deep maroon flower is almost black, and would be great paired with a cool white yang to its ying such as Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’, in a slightly shady spot.
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White-Ness’. White is always lovely in shade and this woodland-loving variety is perfect to add a bit of lightness to a gloomy corner – it boasts slightly reflexed petals and fine yellow stamens, like little ballerinas in the woods.
The best all-rounder geraniums
Geranium ‘Orion’. A mass of jumbo blue saucer-shaped flowers. The foliage turns a reddish hue just in time for autumn.
Geranium clarkeii ‘Kashmir White’. Great ground cover, carpeting the edges of pathways and borders with always-chic green and white from late spring to early summer.
