Hardy geraniums, or cranesbills, are tough, colourful perennials found across much of the world. We’ll look at some of the best garden types and how to prune and grow them so they perform year after year.
These are true Geranium species, not the tender pelargoniums often sold as bedding plants. Most are clump‑forming or ground‑covering perennials, valued for long flowering, attractive foliage and adaptability.
Geranium Roseanne is one of the the best know hardy geraniums, an example of this group of plants and it is a hybrid between Geranium wallichianum ‘Buxtons variety’. The pollen or male parent was an unnamed cultivar of Geranium himalayense..
Selecting Hardy Geraniums (Cranesbill’s) for the Garden
Different species are suited to different parts of the garden and indeed climates. We look at some of the best species.
Sunny border and front‑of‑bed types
Geranium sanguineum, the bloody cranesbill, forms neat mounds with deep magenta flowers from late spring into summer. It thrives in full sun to light shade, copes well with hot, dry conditions, and responds well to a hard cut back after flowering, often producing fresh growth and a second flush.
Geranium sanguineum var. striatum has the same tidy habit but softer, magenta‑striped flowers. Grow it in sun or partial shade in well‑drained soil and cut back after flowering to refresh the plant.
Geranium × magnificum makes bold clumps smothered in large violet‑purple flowers in early summer. Flowering is spectacular but brief, so cutting back after flowering is mainly about improving the foliage and keeping the plant compact.
Geranium pratense hybrid ‘Victor Reiter’ combines lavender‑blue flowers with striking foliage. It prefers sun to partial shade in moist, fertile soil. Trim it after flowering to neaten the plant; any reflowering is usually light.
Rock garden and low, mat‑forming hardy geraniums
Geranium cinereum This is a small alpine type with silvery‑grey foliage and lilac flowers. It loves full sun and very sharp drainage however also like some moisture, it needs little more than an occasional tidy.
Geranium incanum forms a low, fine‑textured carpet with soft pink to lilac flowers over a long season. It suits sun or light shade in well‑drained soil and is short‑lived but self‑seeds freely where it’s happy.
Geranium ‘Sea Spray’ is a very low, mat‑forming plant with small white flowers over a tight cushion of growth. Grow it in full sun with excellent drainage; once established it needs almost no attention.
Geranium sessiliflorum and ‘Nigricans’ stay very low, with bronze‑toned foliage and pale flowers. They suit sun or partial shade in moist but well‑drained soil, perform best in cooler summers, and rarely need pruning.
Hardy Geraniums as Foliage stars and groundcovers
Geranium × oxonianum ‘Walter’s Gift’ is grown for both foliage and softly veined pink flowers. It tolerates sun or partial shade in most soils but benefits from deadheading and a post‑flowering cut to prevent it sprawling.
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Variety’ is outstanding for deep, dry shade. Its aromatic, semi‑evergreen foliage forms a weed‑suppressing carpet, and once established it copes exceptionally well with dry soil. Shear it back when it outgrows its space.
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Variegatum’ offers the same toughness with cream‑edged leaves that brighten shade. Grow it in partial shade with good drainage and prune mainly to shape.
Geranium ‘Philippe Vapelle’ forms a neat mound of soft grey‑green foliage topped with purple‑veined blue flowers. It thrives in a dry, sunny position and needs little pruning beyond removing spent stems.
Shade Loving Hardy Geraniums
Hardy geraniums really come into their own in shade and dry shade.
The Geranium macrorrhizum group excels under trees and along hedges, knitting together into fragrant, semi‑evergreen groundcover that suppresses weeds and tolerates dry conditions once established.
Geranium nodosum is another strong choice for dry shade. It forms low clumps with pale flowers and prefers humus‑rich, well‑drained soil, needing little more than spent flower stalks removed.
Geranium phaeum, including forms like ‘Lily Lovell’, flowers early with dusky purple blooms. It grows in sun or shade with reliably moist soil and responds well to being cut back after flowering to refresh the foliage.
Larger and more dramatic species
Geranium palmatum is a bold plant from Madeira with large pink flowers and deeply lobed leaves. It prefers sun or light shade in fertile, well‑drained soil, but in colder gardens it isn’t fully hardy and often behaves as a short‑lived perennial, replaced by self‑sown seedlings.
Geranium anemonifolium ‘Anne Thomson’ is a vigorous cultivar with rich magenta‑pink flowers and attractive lobed foliage. Grow it in sun or partial shade with good drainage and give it a light prune after flowering to keep it tidy.
Pruning Hardy Geraniums and care recap
Most clump‑forming hardy geraniums benefit from a hard cut back after flowering, which tidies the plant and often produces fresh foliage and occasional repeat blooms.
Very low, mat‑forming and rock‑garden types usually need only an occasional tidy.
Match the plant to your light and soil: sun‑lovers prefer good drainage, while shade specialists such as macrorrhizum, nodosum and phaeum cope well in shade, including dry shade once established.
Choose the right geranium, give it a timely haircut, and it will reward you with months of colour and texture.
