Geranium x cantabrigiense Hanne - Cranesbill

Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Hanne' is a new cultivar from Denmark. It forms a vigorous clump, with a thick spreading mat of rhizomes. The foliage is deeply cut, evergreen, and a beautiful bright green during the growing season, turning reddish in winter. It offers continuous flowering from June to August, with delicate and elegant white-pink flowers perched on slender stems. Ideal for natural gardens, it will not mind harsh winter cold and tolerates summer heat.

Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Hanne' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a cultivar of the natural hybrid Geranium x cantabrigiense, derived from Geranium dalmaticum from the Balkan coast and Geranium macrorrhizum from the southern region. This hardy herbaceous perennial forms a 30 cm (12in) tall mat and spreads up to 60 cm (24in) wide with its stolons. Its growth is quite slow. It blooms in summer, from June to August, with pink flowers 'speckled' with white on the petal edges. The aromatic, round, palmate foliage is deeply cut, evergreen and a beautiful bright green during the growing season, turning reddish in winter.

This perennial geranium thrives in full sun, or partial shade at a push. Plant it in moist, humus-bearing, well-drained soil, early in spring. Water regularly to help the young plants establish. You can remove faded flowers to encourage reblooming. Divide the clumps every three years, also in spring. This easy-going plant requires little maintenance.

Geranium x cantabrigiense is an excellent ground cover, highly resilient and suitable for any type of soil, in full sun or partial shade. It will quickly add a colourful touch to perennial borders. It will be a welcome addition at the base of precious plants, as this geranium won't smother them but will enhance them with its fuzzy foliage. It will fit well on balconies and terraces, in containers, as an edging, in rockeries, and in flower beds, where it will prove to be a faithful companion to columbines, peonies, and lupines.