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Hardy Geranium
Geranium
Also called cranesbill and perennial geranium
Hardy Geranium blooms from May through August.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Hardy Geranium
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 1.3 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Hardy Geranium
Plant Hardy Geranium in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 10 varieties across 5 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Hardy Geranium
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Two plants share the name geranium. The true hardy geranium (cranesbill) is pet-safe, but the annual bedding 'geranium', really Pelargonium, is toxic to cats and dogs. per ASPCA and NC State
Cold-hardiness varies by species
By species: G. sanguineum and G. maculatum are hardy to about zone 3, while 'Rozanne' is rated only to about zone 5. In cold zones pick the hardiest species. per NC State
Deer resistance by species
Garden cranesbills like 'Rozanne' and G. sanguineum shrug off deer and rabbits, but deer will eat the flowers of the native wild geranium. Treat the native as browsable. per NC State and Wisconsin
Cut back for rebloom
Deadhead or cut the plant back after the first flush of bloom to drive a second wave of flowers and fresh foliage. The signature care move. per Penn State and Illinois
Feeds bees and butterflies
The open, accessible saucer flowers draw bees and butterflies over a long season. The native G. maculatum even feeds a specialist bee, Andrena distans. per NC State and Wisconsin
Native type self-seeds
The native G. maculatum self-seeds freely, flinging seed 10 to 30 ft to form colonies. Clumping garden cranesbills stay put; divide them in spring or fall. per Wisconsin and NC State
Keep the crown shallow
It wants moist but well-drained soil. Planting the crown too deep or in waterlogged ground invites crown and root rot, the main way it fails. per NC State and Illinois
What pairs well with Hardy Geranium
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Aster
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Perennial Sunflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Goldenrod
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Autumn Crocus
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Hyacinth
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Fountain Grass
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Azalea
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Serviceberry
Shares part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its white flowers settle the purple.
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