These versatile plants can be welcome additions to everyone’s garden

Everyone should have a space for a geranium in their gardens – these versatile little plants are tough, relatively long lived and need very little maintenance and attention other than a tidy up and cut back now and then.

There are geraniums – commonly named Cranesbill - to suit most situations and aspects from dry shade to full sun, and there are over 300 species of annuals, biennials, perennials and evergreens. Geraniums are not to be muddled up with the blousy bedding plant, Pelargonium which comes in a cheerful array of bright pink white and salmon and graces many a container outside a front door.

Most of you will be familiar with the little wild geranium, Geranium Robertianum (Herb Robert) which scrambles about in crevices and nooks; anywhere it can get a hold. If you pause to scrunch its leaves you will find it has quite a strong aromatic scent, earning it the name ‘Stinking Bob’ and has diminutive little pink flowers. If it is happy, then it can become invasive.

There are some very lovely cultivated varieties such as Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill). These perennials form dense rosettes and the leaves are deeply cut, neat, small and dark green which sets off their delicate flowers beautifully. Gernanium sanguineum cinereum ‘Ballerina’ makes a compact shaped plant, with delicately pale pink flowers with darker pink veining on each petal.

Geranium macrorrhizum is another lovely semi evergreen perennial geranium that is grown in part for its deeply cut bright green leaves which are very aromatic. The flowers here are held aloft in umbels and can be pink, purple or white. In autumn the leaves flush to a deep red. It is excellent ground cover for shady areas.

Planting partners

We use Geranium psilostemon at the front of the main border beds here at RHS Garden Harlow Carr where it provides a good foil for taller plants such as the striking Saliva nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ with its purple-blue stems and flower spikes. The geranium’s brilliant magenta bowl-shaped flowers with a black eye and the blue spikes of the salvia work particularly well together, especially if partnered with the bolder colours of Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ or Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’ behind to complete the picture.

Another of our main border mainstays is Geranium ‘Rozanne Gerwat’, again with mid to dark green leaves and a purple-blue bowl-shaped flower. It has an attractive white eye and purple stamens and is worth a closer study. This would be lovely partnered with a leander shrub rose with heavenly-scented free-flowering peachy apricot flowers.

All the geraniums mentioned give generously and are long flowering. Once the flower spikes have finished cut them back and you may be rewarded with a second flush later in the season.

Powdery mildew may be a problem if the conditions are very dry, and slugs like a nibble if the conditions are wet, but this will be shrugged off by an established plant. They are really one of our most versatile rewarding garden plants so get down to your garden centres and purchase one today.

Jobs for the Week

* If the soil has warmed up, it is time to direct sow your vegetables seeds.

* Involve yourself in a bit of light exercise by spiking your lawn and removing any thatch that has accumulated – it will thank you for it.

* Put out any moss raked up from the lawn out for our feathered friends to line their nests.

With thanks to Katherine Musgrove, Horticulturist at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

DIARY DATES

8 – 23 April: Easter Holiday Fun & the Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt Hop down to the garden and join in the hunt for the Lindt Gold Bunnies, stories with the madcapped garden detectives, Easter crafts and birds-of-prey demonstrations. Over the Easter weekend the Easter Bunny will be hopping by – joined by some real bunnies, lambs and goats. A daily Easter Trail starts on 1 April. Visit rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr/whatson for full details. Normal garden admission applies.

10 - 13 April: National Gardening Week – Helping New Gardeners to Grow Join us as we celebrate National Gardening Week and help new gardeners to grow. 2017 is all about helping those who are new to gardening with tips, activities and advice. On Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 April you can find out about growing, nurturing and caring for sweet peas with experts from the National Sweet Pea Society. Join RHS garden advisor Martin Fish on Wednesday 12 April for top tips on caring for houseplants. Bring your poorly houseplants along to a ‘Houseplant Hospital’ on Thursday 13 April and get advice on how to revive them from our specialist ‘plant doctors’. Normal garden admission applies.