Versatile hardy geraniums

Camilla Phelps explains why no garden should be without hardy geraniums and offers her selection of the best of this underrated genus that's tough and easy to grow

- Camilla Phelps

WHEN it comes to using geraniums in the garden, it can be confusing - not least because those colourful potted pelargoniums that are so often referred to as geraniums are totally different plants to the hardy types that we might take for granted.

The hardy geranium is closer to our native wild cranesbill species found in meadows, hedgerows, and woodlands. We treat Geranium pratense and Geranium robertianum, or herb Robert, as weeds and choose to pull them out of our gardens for turning up like uninvited guests. But the tough qualities that make these wild plants flourish in tricky areas are shared by the many species and cultivars of hardy geraniums, making them invaluable garden plants.

Year-round interest

Hardy geraniums offer many options in terms of size, colour, and year-round interest. There are varieties to suit almost site in the garden, from hot, dry, sunny spots to damp woodland areas, and one of the toughest gardening challenges of all, dry shade.

There is also great variation in size, from tiny alpine types barely a few inches tall, to more rangy, taller ones, that grow up to 2-3ft (60-90cm). There are geraniums that might be more contained and clump-forming, but many have the capacity to spread via rhizomes or seed, making them really effective ground-cover plants. The foliage can be really attractive in its own right. Some have very finely cut, delicate leaves, and many have semi-evergreen foliage and a few are fully evergreen, more so in sheltered gardens.