Perennial Geraniums

I'm not an expert on the herbaceous geraniums growing in my garden. They are all plants that I've picked out of mail-order catalogues, and forgotten their names soon after planting. I'm embarrassed that I've taken perennial geraniums so much for granted.

There are so many different varieties - each year I see them in my mail order plant catalogues. I have bought quite a few different geraniums, and tried to plant them in sensible positions, but often they'll get lost in the mass of summer garden growth. Then I never see them again - I often forget that they ever came into my garden. Hmm...

Different Colours

There are many different coloured geraniums on offer, apart from the original true blues. I have established clumps of a white flowering variety of geranium which I can see from the house in late spring. It soon gets straggly, though, and I trim it back to encourage flowering again.

Geranium Varieties

Further away in the Hen House garden there are patches of pink - all rejects from a friend's garden. I also put up with Geranium phaeum, commonly called Mourning Widow, which I grow in the Apple Tree Garden.

I seem to often be given herbaceous geraniums - another friend proudly gave me her clumps of so-called Johnson's Blue to look after. I wonder, though, if they are frauds - they are seeding everywhere, and I have always thought that Johnson's Blue is sterile.

Anyway, they are filling in space in the Willow Tree Garden while their fate is decided. They certainly put on a great blue flowering display in summer, and again in Autumn after I've chopped them back. And I love the colour blue!

Fabulous Foliage

In the house garden these are clumps of a lilac flowering geranium with quite tiny flowers. This is a real beauty, and seems to quietly spread itself around - no dramas, though. Then alongside the paving path a beautiful hybrid with large veiny blue flowers delights in late spring. This also will reflower a bit if I trim it back.

And I musn't forget to put in a vote for the fabulous foliage of perennial geraniums. Some leaves are delicate, others mathematical, but all are extremely beautiful. I grow one type with a dark red-brown coloured leaf, and another with beautiful fresh lime green foliage. Such variety, all from one plant!