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The Geranium genus consist of hundreds of species and cultivars .
First , though Geraniums themselves are very soft to grow and care for , many varieties make lifespan knotty for widow’s weeds , tending to stifle them !
Himalayan Geraniums
Next , the habit and phase of the many diverseness cover the gamut of mat - forming , creeping , mounding , clumping , bushy , propagate , erect , and upright ; course , therefore , varieties ’ acme crop from a simple 12 cm to well over a full metre .
Finally , a thumping 57 variety have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society ’s Award of Garden Merit .
In this list we share fifteen of our favourite varieties to grow in the UK , but first – here are some of our expert ’s favourite to grow :
Expert-Chosen Varieties
“ I loveGeranium psilostemonfor its punch of color , shape and meridian , ” shares awarding - deliver the goods Garden Designer Manoj Maldé .
“ It also gives a second boot of heyday , which I do it . ”
We also spoke with Gary Carroll fromCranesbill Nurseryand Suzie Dewey fromThe Hardy Geranium Nurseryto ask which of the many Geranium varieties they grow stand out as their favourite .
“ There are some types that are a scrap more fussy than others ; for example the cinereums which are the short alpine types , really need good drainage and need to be in full sun to thrive . ” says Gary .
“ The pratenses call for to be in full sun , but they necessitate consistently damp soil , as do the phaeums , however these can endure sun or tint .
“ But it ’s really not difficult to find the idealistic plant for your berth and there ’s commonly plentifulness of choice . ”
So which are Gary ’s deary ?
“ My overall favourite Geranium is one called ‘ Kaya ’ .
“ It ’s a himalayense type but it has red / bronze and green foliation . The flowers are a endearing deep blue and I think the line is just gorgeous . ”
“ I also love the wlassovianums for their leafage . They have nice empurpled flowers but the foliage is a fuzz - ting green and the form of it is very architectural .
“ Plus it feels nice and soft to the cutaneous senses ! There ’s wlassovianum itself and smorgasbord like ‘ Lakwijk Star ’ and ‘ Crug Farm ’ . ”
Then my other favored character are the sanguineums .
![purple flowers of of G. ‘Gerwat’ or G. [Rozanne]](https://i2.wp.com/horticulture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3-10.jpg)
These come in a salmagundi of color from white to pink and many shades of cerise / magenta .
They ’re a round-eyed plant but very pretty and really gentle to grow , plus their leafage is quite different to most other Geraniums and I determine it very liberal !
Probably my favorite varieties of these would be ‘ Hannelore ’ , ‘ New Hampshire Purple ’ and the version striatum .
Suzie ’s darling are the Phaeum species :
“ It ’s strong for me to pick specific favourites , there are so many geranium I relish for many different reasons .
“ [ But ] I love the whole of the phaeum specie . The flower colours browse from dark red ( almost pitch-black ) to the palest of pink , they are vigorous and take no time at all to bulk up and provide a great springtime display read over from your wintertime bulb .
“ I especially like ‘ Wendy ’s Blush ’ . Her bloom are delicate sick pinko , almost white , with a purple doughnut in the centre , as the blossom mature they turn to a beautiful flush pink .
“ A gorgeous geranium breed by Andre Ekkelbloom and named for his married woman . ”
“ Another that I really delight and for me , I feel like it herald spring , isG. renardii .
“ Its glaucous , heavily textured foliage is strange compared to the majority of geranium species and when the large bloodless flower open it feel like they ’re making an annunciation ‘ wintertime is almost over , outpouring is follow ’ . ”
Here are 15 further varieties which are favourite of our editorial team :
1)G.‘Gerwat’
Why not open our run - through of selected varieties with one of the most renowned and most - desired multifariousness of any plant , G.‘Gerwat ’ , also known as G. ‘ Rozanne ’ .
A success of awards on both sides of the Atlantic , it is a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit .
catch on the short list for the RHS Plant of the Centenary at the Chelsea Flower Show for the 10 1993 - 2002 , it was the straight-out succeeder of the public vote.1RHS plant of the centenary . ( 2013 , April 24 ) . The Guardian . Retrieved March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2013/apr/24/rhs-plant-centenary
It was also the Perennial Plant Association ’s Plant of the Year for 2008.2Perennial plant life Of The Year . ( n.d . ) . Perennial Plant Association . remember March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://perennialplant.org/page/PastPPOY
Even by exalted Geranium standards , this diverseness is a vigorous and trouble - free variety and is known as a prolific blunder over an unusually farseeing unfolding season that begins in bounce and carry on through autumn .
It has a matching tiptop and spread of 50 - 60 cm .
The remarkably middling 5 centimeter flowers have a whitish centre of attention , and purplish venous blood system running through lawful reddish blue petal .
2)G. robertianum
‘ Herb Robert ’ is known by numerous conversational name .
“ Often removed as a weed from the garden , I always leave a few because it really is a very attractive plant and often looks ‘ correct ’ where it sows itself , ” pronounce Colin Skelly , a Consultant and Horticulturist .
It is a very important species in Naturopathy and is aboriginal to the British Isles .
The leave of absence are strange in being so to a great extent dissected as to be palmate .
The minor disc - shape bloom is a Battle of Magenta - garden pink with scarlet - puple vein , sometimes wide or blotchy .
It grows to about 30 cm mellow and broad .
3)G. maculatum
This variety has a clopping form and acquire to about 50 cm with a width of about 40 cm .
Though it has a relatively brief blossom season by Geranium average , the breathtakingly adorable blossom make up for it .
The salver - shaped flower have a white centre and are a pallid , infant pinkish shade on which the yellow-bellied anthers fork over a striking contrast .
It is native to the United States and several terrific cultivars have been developed from it , likeG. maculatum‘Elizabeth Ann ’ , an RHS Award of Garden Merit recipient role .
4)G.‘Melinda’
This also has a clumping form and with the same elevation and width asG. maculatum .
It blooms in summertime and autumn .
Its purple venation is so unusually prominent and patterned on the pinkish - white-hot flower petal that it lend the blossom a classical delicacy and breakability , fetch to mind Victorian Era porcelain piece de resistance .
5)G. xcantabrigiense‘Karmina’
This geranium variety make do with full sunshine to full subtlety , has a prolonged bloom time of year , and has a flatness - forming wont , uprise to only 15 - 20 cm .
As such it is a top choice for groundcover , especially as the disk - shaped flowers of a upstanding bright lilac - pink chromaticity are both acutely pretty and fragrant .
6)G. cinereum
Another mat - forming diversity with a superlative similar toG. xcantabrigiense‘Karmina ’ and nearly matching its foresighted blooming time of year , making it too a top choice for groundcover and rock gardens .
But prime - wise it is similar toG.‘Melinda ’ as its blooms too are very flimsy and graceful .
The petals ’ distal end have a abstruse notch and on their pink - white floor fly the coop a ticklish internet of imperial vein .
As withG. maculatum – to restate ourselves – several grand cultivars have been developed from it , for example , G. cinereum‘Ballerina ’ , an RHS Award of Garden Merit recipient .
7)G. arboreum
Otherwise known as ‘ Hawaii Red Cranesbill ’ , this is an endangered mintage that has an official position of ‘ Critically Imperilled ’ and , deplorably , is on the road to extinction , at least in the wild.3Hawai’i Red Cranesbill ( Geranium arboreum ) . ( n.d . ) . iNaturalist Canada . recall March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://inaturalist.ca/taxa/163254-Geranium-arboreum
It acquire only in a few gulches in Maui .
At 2 - 3.7 m in stature , it is a giant among Geraniums .
The flower is even more strange ; it is of a superb magenta - red-faced hue with curled and furled petals , the only ones to show this trait among Geraniums .
8)G.‘Danny Boy’
Exhibits an over-the-top spreading wont that is open and not dull .
Though it is a respectable 50 curium high-pitched , it spreads to 1.5 m and may sweep even 2 m.
It blooms throughout summer , putting on a colour spectacle with its intense and vivacious purple flower whose venation comprises of mere streaks in a shifted tone of purple .
Other varieties that are well worth looking into include :
9)G.‘Dreamland’
10)G. clarkei‘Kashmir White’
11)G.‘Orion’
12)G.‘Mavis Simpson’
13)G.‘Ann Folkard’
14)G. nodosum
15)G. pratense‘Mrs. Kendall Clark’
A few of these are RHS Award of Garden Merit recipients while others are under - rated and unappreciated , but all have breathtakingly beautiful flowers .
