Geranium phaeum Angelina

The Perennial Geranium phaeum 'Angelina', also known as Brown Geranium or Pale Geranium, is a king in the land of shade. It displays light clusters of small flowers with a chocolate-purple color and a small white center, above its marbled foliage, which is silky and absolutely delightful in every detail. They are downward-facing, in well-opened cups. It is a beautiful herbaceous perennial, very hardy, blooming abundantly in spring. It forms a small semi-evergreen bush, sturdy against the wind, accommodating in terms of soil and exposure, even growing in dry shade.

The Perennial Geranium phaeum 'Angelina' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It comes from Geranium phaeum, native to the mountains of southern and central Europe, in a wide area extending from the Pyrenees to the Balkans. It forms a clump of semi-evergreen foliage, 45 cm (18in) tall when in flower, and 30 cm (0 and 12in) wide. It has a dense and upright habit. The flowering takes place in May-June, and then, more sporadically, during summer in not too dry conditions. The flower itself is relatively discreet, measuring only 2 cm (1in) in diameter, but it is almost bicolor, in very dark brown-purple with silky reflections, and has a beautiful almost white central zone. The heart is crowned with chocolate stamens with violet anthers gracefully curved around the pistil, like butterfly trunks. The flowers are very numerous, arranged in clusters along slender floral stems that stand out distinctly from the foliage. The leaves are divided into 5 large lobes, of a very bright light green, abundantly marbled with purple. G. phaeum self-seeds abundantly in the garden and hybridizes easily with each other.

The Geranium phaeum 'Angelina' does not exhibit a garish flowering because its flowers are small, but they are contrasting and bright. And the clumps do not go unnoticed in May. It is an excellent ground cover to animate a wild garden or illuminate an understory. It tolerates shade, even dense shade, and withstands drought once established. In the understory, it is a good companion for acid green euphorbias and pastel-toned lungworts. The nodding geranium, slightly lower and lighter in flowers, will fulfill the same functions in shade. Plant it along a north or east-facing alley, among ferns and bergenias, in front of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, camellias. It will blend very well with all shade and part-shade perennials such as fuchsias, hostas, periwinkles, hellebores, epimediums.