9 hardy geraniums with pink flowers

The Geranium 'Dreamland'

Hardy geranium ‘Dreamland’ is one of the most floriferous and resilient pink-flowering perennials in all circumstances. It blooms from late spring to autumn without interruption, even during the droughts that have afflicted us in recent years. The flowers of this hardy geranium, approximately 5 cm in diameter, are of a delicate soft pink colour, with petals featuring subtle darker veins. They open above green foliage adorned with a white edge in spring. This groundcover geranium forms a clump of about 40 cm in all directions.

Very hardy, this geranium is also low-maintenance, highly tolerant, and adapts to many different situations. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade in any sufficiently drained soil.

The Geranium 'Chantilly'

The cream of the crop of hardy geraniums, geranium ‘Chantilly’ is a hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding of Geranium renardii and Geranium gracile. With a bushy habit, broader than tall, this geranium offers, between June and July, pale pink flowers with porcelain-like reflections, veined with violet around a white centre. The foliage is evergreen, formed of large, crinkled, and wavy leaves, bright green and glossy, often tinged with ruby red at the edges at any time of the year.

Geranium ‘Chantilly’ enjoys a sunny position and well-drained soil that is fresh to dry, even calcareous, but not too rich, as excess fertilisation will harm its flowering.

Geranium Chantilly (© Martina Bayers)

The Geranium 'Westray'

The Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Westray’ is a more compact variety of the Geranium cantabrigiense species, featuring an early flowering period (from May to June) and a beautiful bright pink colour. The flowers, approximately 2 cm in diameter, reveal bright pink petals, along with stamens and anthers of an even deeper pink. The leaves are rounded and aromatic when crushed, turning a lovely bronze hue in autumn and lasting until the heart of winter. This hardy geranium is an excellent semi-evergreen groundcover that forms a compact carpet 15 to 25 cm high, spreading laterally through its stolons to approximately 40 cm in width.

The ‘Westray’ geranium prefers a sunny but not scorching exposure, or partial shade. It can be grown in any relatively well-drained soils. During dry and hot summers, periodic watering will be appreciated.

Please note: the Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Westray’ is moderately hardy. It will only withstand frosts down to -12°C, possibly a bit more in well-drained soil… but much less in heavy soil.

Geranium 'Hannelore'

Among the bloody cranesbills or beak plants, the Geranium sanguineum ‘Hannelore’ is one of the most beautiful and floriferous. From May until the onset of autumn, it produces, in successive waves, large, dark pink cup-shaped flowers with purple veining. An excellent groundcover, it forms a compact clump 20 to 40 cm high, with dense (semi-evergreen) foliage that is very finely divided, turning red in autumn.

Very hardy and extremely resilient, the ‘Hannelore’ geranium thrives in sun or shade and withstands drought very well. It is a perennial geranium recommended for the south of France. In the wild, it is often found in stony soils, but in the garden, it adapts to all soils and exposures. It is equally at home in a sunny rockery or in woodland among the roots of trees.

Geranium 'Pink Penny'

Lilac pink is quite rare among hardy geraniums. Fortunately, varieties like geranium ‘Pink Penny’ exist. ‘Pink Penny’ is a variety quite similar to the well-known geranium ‘Rozanne’. Both share large flowers, a long flowering period, and remarkable adaptability. A perfect groundcover at the foot of a hedge or among roses, geranium ‘Pink Penny’ has a spreading habit, wider than tall, with an average height of 35 cm and a width of 50 cm. Its lilac pink flowers appear from June and the flowering continues until the frosts. The foliage is semi-evergreen, finely cut, and a lovely fresh green.

Easy to grow and naturally low-maintenance, you will plant geranium ‘Pink Penny’ in full sun or partial shade, ideally in humus-bearing, cool, but well-drained soil.

Geranium 'Rosenlicht'

Among the groundcover hardy geraniums for full sun, Geranium x oxonianum ‘Rosenlicht’ is undoubtedly one of the most robust. An excellent vigorous and floriferous groundcover, this perennial forms a clump at least 60 cm high, spreading over 80 cm wide, or even more in optimal conditions. This perennial offers a long flowering period from May to August, with beautiful bright light pink flowers. Its green, evergreen leaves are plicate and deeply cut, with prominent veins, crinkled, lobed, and divided into five lobes.

Relying solely on rainwater in summer, it is a hardy and very resilient plant for full sun. The ‘Rosenlicht’ geranium prefers fertile, well-drained, and rather cool soils, although it can occasionally tolerate drought (which will, however, slow its flowering).

The Geranium 'Clos du Coudray'

The flower colour of Geranium nodosum ‘Clos du Coudray’ is hard to define. Is it mauve, pink, or purple? The answer is: all of the above. Indeed, this hardy geranium has an abundant spring flowering that lasts until early autumn, producing a multitude of mauve flowers edged with pale pink and striated with dark purple. Forming a clump 50 cm tall, its palmate, evergreen leaves are dark green, highly glossy, and bumpy.

Ideal for shaded areas of the garden, ‘Clos du Coudray’ geranium thrives in all types of rich, cool soil. It also admirably tolerates dry shade in summer.

Geranium 'Olympos'

A true botanical bulldozer, Geranium macrorrhizum is the ultimate multitasking and robust groundcover. It thrives equally well in sun and shade, can grow between tree roots, and effortlessly smothers any adventive plants that dare to sprout through the carpet formed by these geraniums. Among the few available varieties, the Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Olympos’ produces lovely cup-shaped flowers displaying a beautiful mauve-pink hue. These emerge above a fluffy, highly aromatic foliage when brushed against. The foliage often colours in autumn, taking on orange hues, and persists when winter is not too harsh.

Hardy macrorrhizum geraniums are very hardy perennial plants, low-maintenance and easy to grow throughout France. They thrive well in shade but flower better in sunlight (though, beware of the scorching sun in the south of France!). They prefer soft, well-aerated, fairly deep soils, even calcareous and dry in summer.

Geranium 'Dragon Heart'

The Geranium ‘Dragon Heart’ is very similar to the variety ‘Patricia’, except that it produces flowers twice as large, with nearly 6 cm in diameter. Like ‘Patricia’, the flowers of ‘Dragon Heart’ consist of 5 large, intense magenta pink petals, veined with black towards the centre. The flowering is abundant and long-lasting: from June to October. It also makes a good semi-bushy groundcover, forming carpets 60 cm high and 50 cm wide. The deeply cut, medium green foliage is deciduous.

The hardy geranium ‘Dragon Heart’ thrives in full sun or partial shade in preferably cool, well-drained soil.