You can add striking colour to your garden that returns for years to come with one perennial staple. Perennial plants are perfect for your garden borders, providing vivid colours year after year, unlike annual plants.
Few perennials are as popular as geraniums, which offer several benefits to even the most novice of gardeners. An array of colours aside, the flower can act as a pest deterrent and attract pollinators so you can enjoy the sight of bees and butterflies in your garden each summer. The plant is also one of the fastest-growing and low-maintenance perennials, meaning it’s still not too late to add them to your garden.
Perennial geraniums, also known as cranesbill geranium due to the shape of the flowers, are a type of hardy groundcover that spreads rapidly.
They can tolerate low temperatures so can be planted outdoors all year round and offer versatility to your garden designs as they are perfect for border fronts, raised beds, and underplanting larger plants.
Their butterfly-like blooms float over the foliage from late spring to early summer with some types reblooming. Give them some afternoon shade in very hot areas.
Geraniums must be planted in moist but well-drained soil with lots of sun.
Although they are low-maintenance, try to cut back your plants in late summer and take cuttings to avoid winter losses.
Most geraniums need protection in winter so can be moved indoors in autumn to spruce up your home.