Lifestyle
Geraniums grow well under trees
By Debby Looney, gardening expert
Perennials come into their own during summer time, as do lupins, scabious, geraniums and countless other well-known flowers. However, one of the most versatile and beloved perennials has to be the hardy geranium.
I think everyone should have at least one variety somewhere and if your conditions are less than ideal, there should be many in your garden! Almost all varieties available are fully hardy and tolerate all soil types except completely waterlogged soil. Most do as well in shade as a sunny spot and are the least fussy plants I have grown.
They flower in shades of white, pink, mauve, blue and purple, and provide colour from May to October. One of the earliest varieties to flower is G. phaeum, a hardy plant which is has masses of purple, maroon, violet or white flowers from April onwards.
The foliage grows to about 15cm, but the flowers reach about 50cm tall and are of an upright habit. G. sanguineum is the next to make an appearance in my garden. It is a low growing spreading habit and is covered in pink cup-shaped flowers all summer. The leaves are toothed, and flowers range from pale pink to cerise. G. Ann Folkard is a favourite - it has a lax habit producing long shoots with golden leaves.
It has an abundance of magenta flowers with almost black centres and veins from May until frost. It covers a large area and is ideal for keeping weeds down. Another favourite would be Johnson’s Blue, often said to be the bluest and longest flowering of the geraniums. It has a fairly upright habit, and if this is what your space needs, don’t be tempted into buying Jolly Bee, Rozanne or Heidi.
Though these are all beautiful plants with blue flowers, they are all low growing and need a lot of horizontal space! An evergreen variety is G. cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’, a low growing geranium with bright green foliage and pink flowers. G. machorrizum stays green in my garden over winter, with the added bonus of scarlet leaves in the autumn.
G. renardii has soft, hairy foliage, an upright habit and white flowers with dark veins. It is quite unusual but absolutely lovely! G. cinereum is a dwarf variety which is ideal for alpine gardens, and G. x oxonianum is probably one of the oldest, most common varieties we have - ‘Wargrave Pink’ often growing in hedgerows near old cottages. One of the largest varieties is G. maderense, or the Madeira geranium, which grows to almost a meter tall when in flower. Unfortunately it is a biennial, and I advise anyone who has this stunning plant to collect the seeds.
There really are geraniums for every situation and are ideal when trying to cover a bank or a large crockery. They grow well under trees and are not too badly affected by sap. If the seed is collected they will germinate easily, though the clumps can also be divided in autumn or spring. Lastly, a good reason to incorporate geraniums into your garden is that they provide a veritable feast for pollinators!
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