I feel sorry for them. They are the wallflowers of the nursery. Shoppers barely glance their way before moving on to attention-getters like dinner-plate dahlias.
In the garden, though, they shine. They are the workhorses of the perennial border.
I’m talking, of course, about true geraniums — those hardy, versatile, long-blooming plants for edgings, borders and groundcovers.
Most people use the common name geranium to describe what is actually a pelargonium. Ivy geraniums, Martha Washington pelargoniums and zonal geraniums are all pelargoniums.
Hardy geraniums, also called Cranes Bill, look very different. Their leaves are roundish or kidney-shaped and usually lobed or deeply cut. Flower colors include beautiful blue, purple, magenta, pink or white and often completely cover the plant. I’ll bet if you visited a garden on a tour or admired a picture in a garden magazine, it contained true geraniums.
Here are just a few strong performers available among the dozens of species:
- Geranium maderense grows best in shade. This dramatic native of Madeira is the largest geranium with huge 1- to 2-foot long leaves shaped like giant snowflakes. Clusters of thousands of rose-tinted flowers form on a 3-foot trunk. This perennial is short-lived but self-sows freely. Add some of these architectural plants to your border for color and structure.
- Blue flowers in the garden are always a hit, as they combine so well with other colors. Geranium Orion’s abundant clear-blue flower clusters bloom over a long season. Use this 2-foot spreading plant in sun or partial shade in a mixed border or as a groundcover.
- Another fast-growing species is Geranium incanum, which covers itself spring through fall with rosy, violet flowers. Cut it back every two to three years to keep it neat. This variety endures heat and drought better than other types but needs some summer water. It self-seeds profusely, which might be exactly what you want as a groundcover in a problem area.
- If pale pink is your color, plant Geranium biokova. This excellent groundcover spreads slowly. The numerous 1-inch flowers are long lasting and cover the plant from late spring to early summer. Their soft pink color is indispensable when tying together stronger colors in the border, and the lacy foliage is slightly scented.
Give a hardy geranium a place in your garden.
Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at
ja******@ao*.com
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