blue/grey hardy geranium
steve howe
Posts: 55
in Plants
I want to plant a group of clump-forming hardy geraniums either side of a grass path at the junction where it meets a lawn to make a strong 'corner' to each side. I originally planned to use 'Mrs Kendall-Clark' as I love the pearly blue/grey flowers but I have since read that she can be a bit loose of habit (although I'm sure the real Mrs K-C was a model of propriety)
Can anyone suggest a similar geranium with a more compact growth?
Thanks
Steve
0
Posts
I've recently come across 'Splish-Splash' bare root in Wilko for £2 for 3. Flowers look a similar colour to your description so will let you know how I get on with it. Can't go wrong with that price though!
Both those geraniums are Geranium pratense which is naturally straggly.
G. renardii is quite compact, flowers very early but the leaves are quite attractive greyish through the summer
In the sticks near Peterborough
Geranium magnificum Rosemoor forms a reasonably tidy clump and maintains it's shape quite well. Flowers are a richer (more towards purple) colour and are only out for a few weeks in early summer but they look good when they're out. The leaves are fairly attractive & have a presence for most of the year. About 12 - 15" high.
But if you really like the colour of Mrs Kendall Clark why not give it a try but with a good support network in place? She does repeat flower if cut back. In the right spot she can be over 2' high so a real presence. I love the steely grey blue colour of the flowers.
To throw a curved ball - if you want something that's a bit better 'behaved' for a corner spot - have you considered hardy salvias? Completely different form etc I know... Like to cause confusion sometimes
Last edited: 26 January 2017 09:30:23
Thanks for those useful suggestions, I an inclined to try G. renardii if I can find a reasonably bluish one, the foliage on those looks good even when not in flower.
The area in question is a deep border surrounding a circular lawn 9m in diameter with three paths entering it from different directions. One path is very sunny so I might take up Topbird's suggestion of salvias along with some french lavender; the other is moderately sunny which is where the geraniums come in, and the third is largely shaded leading to a wooded area so that will be cornered with Bergenia (homage to Miss Jeckyll) Alchemilla, Iris foetidissima and Japanese anemone. If I can get access to a scanner I'll try and post the Plan (as far as its got)
I have lofty ideas of applying the colour wheel theory to the circle but I can see that idea quickly disintegrating! still, looks good on paper!
Steve
I`m trying Buxton Blues and Purple Haze this year, maybe them ?
Having managed to get access to a scanner, here's a couple of sketches of the project.
This is the initial concept idea ( the diagram in the middle of the lawn is just a reference!
A more detailed plan is emerging. The lawn is 9m across, the site is level, the black line to the right is a retaining wall and the path lower right slopes down into the garden. This will eventually become a flight of wide steps.
Sorry its poor quality, the original is getting a bit dog-eared!
Steve
I love the leaves of G.renardii, but I find it does not flower very well and the flowers are over very quickly. As Nut says, it is a very early flowerer.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I would highly recommend geranium Azure Rush. I bought two of these last year, one for my very sunny back garden and one for my more shady front garden. The plant performed brilliantly in both aspects. I occasionally took off finished stems if l noticed any , it flowered pretty much non-stop until mid November. It is from the same family as geranium Rozanne, but has been bred to be more compact and not sprawling in habit. I'd also recommend geranium Brookside, it is a beautiful shade of blue and responds quickly after l cut it back after its first flush. It puts on fresh new growth and re- flowers quickly. The leaves also redden nicely in the autumn.