Hardy geraniums: how to choose them?

For which location?

• Hardy geraniums for sunny spots

The Geranium riversleaianum ‘Russell Prichard’ thrives in full sun, in well-drained soil. It will charm you with its long-lasting magenta flowering. It features beautiful grey-green, semi-evergreen foliage. The Geranium x magnificum also enjoys sunny exposures. Its flowering lasts a little less long but boasts a stunning blue-violet colour of rare intensity. Additionally, its foliage takes on beautiful hues in autumn! You can also choose the geranium ‘Rozanne’ for its exceptional flowering, a sky blue with a white centre, delicately enhanced by small purple veins radiating from the centre of the flower. This geranium blooms abundantly from June until autumn. Less known, the iberian geranium bears beautiful flowers of intense blue, accented with purple veins.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Geranium ‘Russell Prichard’ and Geranium ibericum ‘Vital’

• Hardy geraniums for shade

Although most geraniums prefer partial shade, some varieties tolerate shaded conditions better than others. The Geranium nodosum is a good ground cover for dry shade. It has abundant blue mauve flowers and beautiful glossy leaves. Discover the variety ‘Clos du Coudray’ with its superb mauve flowers edged in white. If the soil is a bit more moist, opt for Geranium maculatum. Finally, Geranium macrorrhizum can also tolerate shaded situations.

Discover our collection of geraniums suitable for dry shade!

The geraniums nodosum, macrorrhizum and maculatum ‘Espresso’

• Hardy geraniums for dry soil

Geraniums generally prefer cool soils; however, the Geranium versicolor is more drought-tolerant than most varieties… and it bears a stunning white flowering delicately marked with purple! A bit more classic, the Geranium pyrenaicum offers small mauve-pink flowers and evergreen foliage. Suitable for rockeries, the cinereum geraniums and G. renardii can grow in poor, dry, and stony soil. Also discover the sanguineum geranium, which tolerates a wide range of situations.

Geranium versicolor (photo Meneerke Bloem), Geranium pyrenaicum (photo Enrico Blasutto) and Geranium cinereum ‘Ballerina’ (photo Rachel C.)

• For wet soil

Although most geraniums prefer well-drained substrates, Geranium palustre, the marsh geranium, is particularly suited to wet soils! You can install it, for example, at the edge of a pond, alongside Primula japonica, Iris pseudacorus or some hostas. It has an upright habit and offers bright pink flowers in summer.

The Geranium palustre, or marsh geranium, enjoys wet soils! (photo Christian Fischer)

For what purpose?

• Ground Cover Varieties

Many varieties make excellent ground covers. Some spread through their rootstocks, others produce stolons, and sometimes the stump remains localised while only the stems creep along the surface. These hardy geraniums can occupy a shady space, enliven a woodland area, or the base of trees. They effectively cover the soil: with them, there’s no need for weeding! They are perfect plants for a low-maintenance garden. The Geranium ‘Dragon Heart’ is remarkable for its intense magenta flowering with a black centre. You can also choose geranium ‘Orion’, with lighter blue flowers at the centre. The macrorrhizum geraniums are also excellent ground covers.

Geranium macrorrhizum (photo Meneerke Bloem)

• Perennial Geraniums for Rockeries

Geranium cinereum is the best rockery geranium! It is compact and adapts well to poor soils. It has remarkable foliage, grey-green and evergreen. We recommend the variety ‘Ballerina’ with pale pink flowers veined with purple. For more colour, be charmed by the red-pink flowering of ‘Jolly Jewel Salmon’! It is one of the few geraniums with bright red flowers. The dalmaticum and sanguineum geraniums also adapt well to rockeries. Discover our Rockery Geraniums Collection, which combines three selected varieties!

Geranium cinereum ‘Jolly Jewel Salmon’

• Varieties for Pots and Containers

You can grow geraniums in pots and add a splash of colour to your balconies and terraces. Choose the geranium ‘Azure Rush’, a hybrid from the famous variety ‘Rozanne’, but with a more compact habit. It offers abundant and long-lasting blue flowering, white at the centre. It is very resilient and vigorous. You can use it in hanging arrangements. For a lighter flowering, opt for the geranium ‘Lilac Ice’, another hybrid of ‘Rozanne’, with pale pink flowers delicately veined with purple-pink. You can also choose geraniums with long stems that cascade over the edge of the pot, such as the varieties ‘Ann Folkard’ or ‘Salomé’.

Geranium ‘Lilac Ice’, Geranium ‘Azure Rush’ and Geranium ‘Salomé’

• Dwarf Varieties for Small Gardens!

If you have limited space, turn to dwarf varieties. The Geranium cinereum is one of the smallest geraniums. It does not exceed 15 cm in height and 30 cm in spread. It thrives in rockeries, just like the dalmaticum geranium, another variety with limited growth. Also discover Geranium sanguineum ‘Compactum’, which forms cushions and bears pale pink flowers.

Geranium dalmaticum

What is the desired effect?

• To have flowers for six months of the year: long-flowering geraniums!

Some geraniums bloom continuously from spring to autumn, so take advantage of it! A very popular and floriferous variety, the geranium ‘Rozanne’ will charm you with its abundant mauve-blue flowering. More intense, the geranium ‘Dragon Heart’ offers an enchanting magenta bloom with a black centre. As for the geranium ‘Orkney Cherry’, it bears countless pink flowers, highlighted by dark foliage. Plant it in full sun and well-drained soil.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’

→ Learn more about geranium ‘Rozanne’ in Olivier’s video!

• For a simple and natural look!

Choose varieties with single flowers and rather subdued tones. Opt for botanical species and avoid varieties with double or very large flowers. For example, you can choose Geranium nodosum, with its superb finely cut foliage and delicate mauve-blue flowers that add a touch of colour to shaded gardens. In moist soil or at the edge of a pond, grow Geranium palustre! It is appreciated for its pink flowers that will beautifully complement ferns. As for Geranium maculatum, it offers a slightly paler bloom but has superb finely cut foliage of a beautiful bright green. It grows very easily and thrives in shady, cool conditions. Create a natural and rustic area in your garden, where you can plant these geraniums alongside grasses and other plants with a free and airy habit.

Geranium nodosum, Geranium palustre, Geranium maculatum (photo H. Zell)

• For an exuberant flowering!

Conversely, if you want an impressive bloom, choose double-flowered geraniums! Be surprised by the pink, delicate petals of Geranium oxonianum ‘Southcombe double’. The petals have a somewhat dishevelled look, much less tidy and classic than traditional five-petalled geraniums. Also discover the stunning flowering of Geranium ‘Algera double’. The white flowers are delicately enhanced with purple markings at the centre. Much more vibrant, Geranium psilostemon surprises with its intensely magenta bloom, revealed by the black centre of the flower. The geranium ‘Catherine Deneuve’ also offers a striking bloom, bright pink veined with purple. With their very fine petals, the flowers take on a starry appearance.

Discover our collection of double-flowered varieties, which includes the himalayense ‘Plenum’ geranium alongside the pratense ‘Summer Skies’ and ‘Plenum Album’.

Geranium ‘Southcombe Double’, Geranium psilostemon and Geranium ‘Catherine Deneuve’

• For an exotic look!

With its exceptional spread, the Madeira geranium, Geranium maderense will undoubtedly bring exoticism to your garden! It can reach up to 1.5 m in height and bears large, very elegant leaves. It offers a stunning pink bloom. In the same genre, you can also choose Geranium palmatum. Unfortunately, these geraniums are not very hardy and, outside the Mediterranean region, they will need to be planted in pots and brought indoors for the winter.

Geranium maderense (photo Eric Hunt)

• Geraniums with original or colourful foliage

Some varieties offer unusual foliage. That of Geranium pratense ‘Purple Ghost’ has a beautiful dark, intense hue. In contrast, the geranium ‘Blue Sunrise’ has a superb bright, golden foliage. Its leaves combined with its mauve-pink flowers create a very colourful and vibrant ensemble. Of a more classic colour, yet still silver, the geranium renardii has remarkable velvety and wrinkled foliage. The dark shades of Geranium maculatum ‘Espresso’ and Geranium ‘Bob’s Blunder’ highlight their flowering, providing a lovely contrast.

→ Read also: Hardy geraniums: discover colourful foliage varieties to enhance your flower beds.

Geranium ‘Blue Sunrise’, Geranium ‘Bob’s Blunder’, Geranium renardii

• Persistent geraniums, to enjoy even in winter!

Most hardy geraniums are deciduous, but a few species have the advantage of retaining their foliage in winter. This is the case with Geranium x cantabrigiense, which offers lovely pink or white flowers and forms clumps that spread through stolons. In rockeries, you can grow Geranium cinereum or Geranium dalmaticum. These are two dwarf varieties, not exceeding 15 cm in height, and they offer pale pink blooms. The flowers of Geranium cinereum are a bit more contrasted, as they are veined with purple. These geraniums are the most persistent, however, there are many other varieties whose foliage persistence depends on the climate! They retain their leaves in regions with mild winters, while they lose them when the climate becomes harsher.

Geranium x cantabrigiense (photo Meneerke Bloem)