Hardy geraniums (those softly mounding perennials with cupped blooms) are durable and offer years of easy color. Award-winning geranium varieties bring the highest performance and ornament, all in an easygoing, adaptable package. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores prized geranium varieties to bring the biggest appeal to the landscape and to pollinators, too.Hardy geranium, or cranesbill, features softly mounding, trailing stems and saucers of delicate, deep blue-purple blooms. Flowering begins in spring and, for many prized varieties, continues through frost. In dark to light periwinkle and magenta, violet, white, and pink, the species and their cultivars are a highlight in the border (and we should grow more of them).
Not only are hardy geraniums ornamental, but they’re also a rich source of nectar and pollen for pollinators, especially bees. And they’re easy-care, adaptable perennials with few maintenance needs. Their leafy forms and rich blooms soften the border, container, window box, and raised bed arrangement. Let stems trail over a low wall or comingle with neighboring perennials.
The palmate, semi-evergreen leaves are attractive year-round, even when not in flower. From gray-green to purple-blotched, the leaves bring dynamic visual interest. Enjoy the graceful beauty of a durable perennial by selecting award-winning geranium varieties.True geraniums (Geranium spp.) differ from zonal or annual types, which are in the same Geraniaceae family but a different species (Pelargonium spp.). While they share the common name of the hardy genus, the tender, annual types have different forms, flowering, and growing requirements. Hardy geraniums are tough and cold hardy, while tender geraniums are frost-sensitive outside of USDA zones 10-11.
Geranium spp. (cranesbill) are hardy in USDA zones 3-8. There are nearly 300 species and a sea of cultivars and hybrids. Some cranesbills bloom in spring and early summer, while others last into autumn. They naturalize under optimal conditions, spreading by rhizome and some by seed, but aren’t weedy, aggressive, or competitive with neighboring plants. Many hybrids are sterile, with a long flowering season without seed production.
Hardy geraniums are adaptable but grow best in organically rich, well-draining soils with even moisture. Most benefit from shearing after flowering to promote a flush of new growth. But these low-maintenance perennials don’t require deadheading to bloom. Let leaves remain in the fall for a flash of rich green in the frosty garden. As a bonus, deer and rabbits find their texture and aroma unappealing. In hot climates, geraniums benefit from shade protection from the afternoon sun.