"You can find geraniums for literally every area of the garden from shady areas to sun," says Robin Parer, author of "The Plant Lover's Guide to Hardy Geraniums" (Timber Press, 252 pages, $24.95). Parer owns Geraniaceae (www.geraniaceae.com)
There are more than 400 species of geraniums that can be found growing in cool temperate areas of the world. They grow in the woodlands of North America, as well as in Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Himalayan Mountains, the French Pyrenees, northern Turkey, Iceland, from northeastern Afghanistan to Kashmir, China and elsewhere. Their common name â cranesbill â refers to their beaklike fruits.
âSome geraniums have brilliant colors,â Parer said. âWeâve got 48 different types of blue, purple and lavender. The blue is lovely, and there are a few white flowers. Thereâs a huge number of pinks. Theyâre not terribly fashionable at the moment, but I have hopes.â
Besides geranium species growing in the wild, there are countless cultivars â plants that have been produced by selective breeding. Parerâs book describes more than 140 types suitable for gardens, but one in particular, Geranium âRozanneâ has sold more than 6 million plants as of 2016 and is one of the most widely planted.
âI just came back from England in June and brought 71 (different) geraniums back,â Parer said. âI must be sick. I spent two days in a barn in Wales with friends, washing the roots of the plants for shipping back.â
Geraniums charm homeowners and landscape designers with their lengthy flowering period â as much as five weeks or more, which is exceptionally long for any perennial. Some geraniums put out a flush of bloom in the spring and then flower sporadically during summer. Others offer scarlet or brilliant red leaves in the fall. Depending on the cultivar, they can range in height from 6 to 24 inches.
Most geraniums tend to do best with morning sun and afternoon shade. Others thrive in full sun. Provide them with a free-draining soil enriched with compost and keep them watered, especially during drought, and theyâll be off to a great start. Once theyâre established, little maintenance is needed. Geraniums also tolerate a wide range of soils, but they donât like growing in low areas during winter where the water can collect around the roots.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, there are about 80 different geraniums currently represented in the gardenâs collections. Jacob Burns is curator of herbaceous perennial plants there. âGeraniums are an important collection because theyâre a favorite landscape plant and they have multiple attributes,â he said. He has developed a detailed list of 180 different geraniums for the gardenâs collection, which has the largest number of geranium types in the United States. Pressed to name a favorite, Burns says, âFor unique flower color, I like Geranium phaeum. Itâs an underused species with dark purple flowers â almost black.â
Geraniums can be used in a foundation planting, under trees or with shrubs and other perennials. Their finely cut leaves show off to great advantage when paired with the large leaves of hostas.
âGeraniums are a supporting cast, and you need that in the garden,â Parer says. Their flowers all have five equal-size petals that range in size from 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches wide. âI really like wildflowers and the quality that hardy geraniums bring to the garden,â Parer said. âThe flowers are simple, by and large, but there are a few that are double. Thereâs something calming about single flowers.â
Most geranium flowers have veins in light, dark or contrasting hues. Plants may produce more flowering stems over the summer, but if the stems become untidy, you can cut them back a few inches. âYou get the blast in spring, cut them back, forget about them and look at something else,â Parer says.
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