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Home > Flower and garden articles > The joy of Geraniums
The joy of Geraniums
 I probably should clarify here that I’m referring to the “hardy Geraniums“ as opposed to the Pelargoniums (“ivy-leafed Geraniums“) - the latter of which I have had very little experience.
“Hardy Geraniums“ make up a very diverse and large group of plants (allegedly comprised of some 400 species!) which are hugely popular in the UK where there are several national collections of them. In Australia however, these plants are greatly under-appreciated and under-utilised. This sad fact is probably only because Australian gardeners are not aware of these plants and how fabulous they are. However, I’m happy to report that this situation is being remedied and that their fame and popularity is steadily growing as more and more gardeners discover the joy of Geraniums and share the good news with their gardening friends.
When I first discovered Geraniums it was their charming flowers which captured my attention - hot pink ones, soft pink ones, bright blue ones and creamy white ones. Quite a variety of colours and many which flowered cheerfully over a long time.
Later, after enjoying the plants for a while in the garden, I also became very impressed with their exceptional overall garden worthiness. The plants were durable, fairly drought tolerant, heat tolerant and generally highly self-sufficient (in the southern parts of Australia). It seemed that I had to provide very little care in order for these plants to flower cheerfully over Spring and/or Summer and look lush and leafy for much of the year.
Geraniums are versatile plants which have a remarkable ability to naturalise and, in doing so, provide a very important weed-proof floral cover for the garden. I consider them to be the essential “gap fillers“ and ground covers. I also love them for over-planting the Spring and Summer bulbs which will happily pop up from underneath the Geranium’s lacy foliage.
The foliage of Geraniums is also often a feature in its own right.. It’s frequently deeply textured (and, in the case of G.rendardii, soft and velvety). The foliage in most varieties creates a pretty picture for most of the year in milder climates. In colder climates the foliage will die back but not before putting on a gorgeous Autumn show of rusty reds and oranges.
Geraniums are also widely adaptable and can be used in many different garden styles from the formal English perennial border type to the informal cottage garden and the shaded woodland. They’re also versatile enough to tolerate varying degrees of sun and shade. If you look carefully you’ll find a Geranium variety to suit almost any situation.
I think another of the reasons why Geraniums remain popular amongst their fans is that there is a constant trickle of new varieties being introduced - so there’s always something new (and often improved) to try. Lovers of Geraniums never have the opportunity to become bored with their ‘pet’ plant!
Here are some of my favourite Geranium varieties:
‘Rozanne’ ( G.himalayense x wallickiana): This is one of the newest varieties and a great example of an “improved variety“. Prior to Rozanne all deep violet blue Geraniums flowered only for a short period each year. Mostly they had one bold and brilliant burst of colour in Spring. Some would re-flower if trimmed or would spot flower. This is what makes Rozanne such a fantastic improvement. It flowers full-on and non-stop from Spring, through Summer and into Autumn. Rozanne is almost decadent! This plant is approx 30cm (1ft) tall and wide and so is terrific in the front to half way back in the garden. It also makes a fabulous free-style ground cover. Rozanne is currently available from our Spring 2001 catalogue here.
‘Striatum’ (G.sanguineum x striatum). This is a more traditional ground cover type Geranium, growing to only 15cm (6“) tall and 30cm (1’) wide. It produces a lovely dense mat of soft green foliage which is ideal for weed proofing the area under standard plants or softening the edges of garden beds. In Spring this Geranium is topped with gorgeous upturned fleshy pink flowers that are decorated with lace-like deep magenta venation. Like all garden worthy Geraniums, ‘Striatum’ is tough, hardy and easy care. Also available from our Spring 2001 catalogue here
‘Biokova’ is my personal all time favourite (probably because it was the first Geranium I ever planted). It flowers nice and early - starting in late Winter or early Spring and produces lovely high-held clusters of soft and deep pink flowers. It is exceptionally lovely in flower but the foliage is useful too. It looks great most of the year and quickly develops into soft mounds of lacy foliage which requires little attention and yet looks great and keeps the dreaded weeds at bay! ‘Biokova’ seems to naturalise quite easily too, so I let it wander a bit in areas which I want to keep low maintenance. This plant is some-times available in retail nurseries but if you have a friend with some just ask if you can break off a little of the roots to take home with you!
G.maderense. This is easily the most spectacular of all Geraniums. Unlike most Geraniums which seem to be happy to play a “supporting“ role in the garden, this one is definitely the “prima donna“. It’s an eye-popper when in flower. The plants grow up to 1.5m (5’) tall and produces huge balls of brilliant lipstick pink to magenta flowers. Unfortunately this plant can also be somewhat temperamental (like many Prima Donnas are reputed to be!) and so it is not always easy to buy. However it’s worth trying if you can find one.
G.renardii is another Geranium which I find particularly appealing but not necessarily for the flowers. This Geranium has the most gorgeous foliage which looks and feels like silver velvet. It too is heat and drought tolerant and does have sweet flowers which are white with deep purple venation.
Happily, Geraniums are becoming more common which means that apart from those which you can purchase via our catalogues you will often be lucky enough to find a couple of interesting varieties in the retail nurseries. When you find such plants I highly recommend you try them and discover for yourself the joy of Geraniums. It won’t be long before you too will be singing their praises and helping to increase their popularity.
Happy gardening!
PS: If you wish to read more about Geraniums I can recommend “The Gardeners Guide to Growing Hardy Geraniums“ by Trevor Bath and Joy Jones (ISBN 0 7153 0014 8)
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