91µ¼º½

Most geraniums bear saucer-shaped flowers in shades of pink, magenta, white, violet and blue on wiry stems, in summer Foliage light green, bright green or silvery and is frequently dissected or patterned, providing an attractive textured backdrop beneath the flowers They can be short and prostrate like G. 'Mavis Simpson', medium-sized and clump-forming like G. phaeum cultivars or G. psilostemon, carpeting like G. macrorrhizum or G. procurrens,mat-forming likeG. himalayenseand trailing likeG. riversleaianum 'Russell Prichard' A few species are summer dormant. These flower in spring then die back, reappearing in autumn or spring. G. malviflorum is an example of this type For a plant that flowers almost non-stop from spring until autumn try G. Rozanne ('Gerwat')

Hardy garden geraniums like, G. 'Orion' or G.clarkei 'Kashmir White' thrive on most soils, including heavy clay Some species do well in dry, shaded spots like G. macrorrhizum, G. nodosum and G. phaeum Small rock garden types likeG. dalmaticumand G. cinereum 'Ballerina' want free-draining sites Two species, natives of the Canary Islands, G. maderenseand G. palmatum need to spend winter somewhere frost-free, but these are in the minority

Rock garden types like G. cinereum cultivars need sharp drainage and won’t thrive in heavy soils Even the happy-go-lucky hardy garden geraniums don’t like to be waterlogged in winter G. palmatum and G. maderense want frost-free conditions

Britain has three native geraniums: G. pratense (meadow cranesbill),G. sylvaticum(wood cranesbill) and G. sanguineum (bloody cranesbill) The common name cranesbill comes from the long, pointed seed capsule that resembles a crane’s bill