“Hardy geraniums are tough, they will grow anywhere”

On Wednesday evening I sat in on a Garden Masterclass presentation from Rosy Hardy on geraniums. Many people will know of Hardy’s Cottage Garden plants already; they have had a stand at the Chelsea Flower Show for many years and have won in excess of 20 RHS gold medals. Rosy’s energy and enthusiasm for plants seems undimmed by all the years! However, she did point out that 2020 was going to be their final year at Chelsea because the months of April and May are a busy time for the nursery and it all becomes too much work at a critical time. That final year will now be 2021.

The range of geraniums presented was astonishing and I found my knowledge being extended further and further. From varieties that I had not heard of such as G. wlassovianum to the very biddable G. malviflorum, which flowers in spring only to die back and  then produce attractive leaf clumps through the winter. It sounds like the ideal plant for the herbaceous border. There is a geranium for every garden situation, Rosy claimed, and even those which are flagged to grow in a free draining sunny position for example, if they find themselves somewhere moist and rather shady they often thrive.

Vija