Are you looking for a beautiful garden full of bright colors and lush foliage? Consider adding hardy geraniums to your garden! Hardy geraniums are an easy-to-care-for perennial that will bring your garden to life.
They come in a range of colors and sizes and look great when planted with other flowers. To really make your garden stand out, here are six plants to grow with hardy geraniums that will create a stunning display in your garden.
From complementary colors to attractive foliage, these plants will bring your garden to the next level.
Benefits of growing hardy geraniums
As a UK garden expert, I am more than happy to offer advice about the benefits of growing hardy geraniums. Geraniums are a great addition to any garden, and will provide you with blooms throughout the warmer months. Not only do they provide lovely pops of colour, but they are also long-lasting, easy to maintain, and require minimal effort.
Furthermore, they can be combined with other plants to create a vibrant and eye-catching display. Here are six plants to grow with hardy geraniums to get you started.
First on our list is Salvia. This tall, upright plant will grow up to 2m high and will provide an interesting backdrop for your geraniums. It has a lovely array of different colours and will attract pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, to your garden.
Furthermore, it is a great source of nectar for butterflies and other insects, making it a great way to help contribute to conservation efforts. Second is Sedum.
Sedum is a great low-maintenance groundcover, with its evergreen foliage helping to retain moisture and stop weeds from taking over. Furthermore, it has an array of different colours, such as soft green, yellow, orange, and red, and will provide a burst of colour to your geranium bed.
Next, why not consider Lobelia? This grass-like plant adds an interesting texture to any garden, and its spikes of colour will bring life to your geraniums. Its flowers are a range of attractive shades, and it is great for attracting pollinators.
Furthermore, at only 15-30cm high, it’s low enough to provide a low backdrop for your geraniums. Having mentioned grass-like plants, it is only appropriate to recommend grasses as the next addition to your garden. Grasses will provide an interesting texture, and their deep green foliage will add depth to your geranium bed. Furthermore, grasses will require minimal effort, and, depending on the variety you choose, their light requirements and water needs will vary. The penultimate plant in this list is Echinacea. Not only is this plant immune-boosting and medicinal, but it also looks fantastically in any garden. Its drooping, daisy-like flowers are an attractive addition, and they come in a variety of different shades, including purple, pink, orange, and yellow. More importantly, planting Echinacea amongst your geraniums will attract bees and butterflies, making it a great way to contribute to conservation efforts. Finally, why not try Lobularia? This compact, bushy plant will provide a stunning backdrop to your geraniums, with its tiny clusters of pink, purple, and white flowers. Not only is it low-maintenance and easy to look after, but it will also flower for weeks at a time, making it a great way to ensure your geranium bed stays looking great throughout the warmer months. All in all, hardy geraniums are a great way to add colour and vibrancy to any garden. By combining them with these six plants, you can rest assured that your garden will be looking fabulous with minimal effort.
Six plants to grow with hardy geraniums
Nothing pairs as perfectly with hardy geraniums as these six ideal companion plants. Hardy geraniums are a dependable and low maintenance perennial for the garden, thriving in temperate climates and returning year after year.
Attractive and easy to grow, they make the perfect companion for any of these plants, whether it’s part of a formal garden design, or a more relaxed cottage style garden. Ferns are ideal planting partners for hardy geraniums, their soft lacy foliage adding texture and contrast that complements the classic beauty of the geraniums’ single or double blooms. With plenty of varieties to choose from, you can find a fern that suits your climate and garden.
Foxglove and delphiniums are great flowers to team with hardy geraniums, both more upright in form and creating height in the border. Their tall spikes of colourful blooms add a stately presence and provide a dazzling bed for the softness of the geraniums below.
Shrubs such as lavender, catmint, and hebe make great companions for geraniums. Planted amongst the free-flowing flowers and foliage, they provide a neat and tidy structure that is softened by the bright colours and blooms of the surrounding plants. The architectural foliage or twigs of grasses, such as tufted hair grass, and maidenhair add a further element to the design, allowing light and air to filter through the plants, while still retaining a harmonious look.
Also, there’s plenty of room for other perennials, such as daylilies, hostas, and primroses, which both contribute their own unique blooms and contribute to the overall impression of the garden. Hardy geraniums really have it all – beauty and durability, making them a gardener’s dream. When combined with these complementary companion plants, they create a stunning visual effect, bringing colour and texture to your garden.
Tips for growing hardy geraniums
When it comes to creating beautiful, low-maintenance gardens, hardy geraniums are an excellent choice. Not only are they low maintenance and require minimal care, but they have vibrant colors that can really make a garden pop. While it’s easy to just plant a few of these versatile plants and let them thrive, there are actually some great ways to maximize their impact by growing them with companion plants.
Here, we’ll go through six of the best plants to pair with hardy geraniums for a stunning garden. One of the top choices for hardy geranium companions is the hellebore.
These plants provide a stunningly beautiful, yet sophisticated addition to the garden, with their pale blossoms in shades of white and blush. They also provide texture, form and structure to the garden, and last for months, so that you can enjoy the blooms for a long portion of the growing season. These plants even act as a foil for the geraniums, providing an elegant backdrop for the vibrant colors.
Next is the lavender. Both the sight and scent of the sweeping blooms of lavender adds a sense of calm and beauty to the garden.
The grey-green foliage of the plant is also a nice pairing with the green foliage of the geraniums. It’s also a wonderful companion to other almost any color, making it a great option for creating a variety of looks in your garden.
Hesperis matronalis (sometimes called Dame’s Violet) is another must. This plant can really add a whole lot of impact to the garden. It has a fragrant white to lavender flower that blooms from summer to early fall, making it a great perennial choice.
It also looks lovely dotted in between the bolder colors of the hardy geraniums. Sedum is another one of the great plants to grow with hardy geraniums. It has lush, vibrant colors that include pink, red, white, and yellow. It not only looks good in the garden, but also provides erosion control, making it a multi-purpose plant. It’s also drought tolerant and can hold up to heat and cold, making it ideal for year-round use. Ferns provide an interesting texture and stunning foliage colors that complement the colors of the geraniums. Many are also very low-maintenance and can pretty much take care of themselves, so they’re an excellent addition to the garden. Finally, we recommend growing these geraniums with something trailing. Trailing plants, such as Lamium or Lysimachia, can really fill out the garden and tie everything together. These plants will also provide an interesting texture to the beds, and will create an interesting, cascading effect in the geraniums’ blooms. With these six amazing plant companions, you can create a stunning, beautiful garden full of vibrant colors, interesting textures, and delightful aromas. Plus, hardy geraniums are extremely low-maintenance and resilient, making them the perfect choice for gardens looking for long-lasting beauty with minimal effort.
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Bottom Line
Hardy geraniums are an ideal choice for gardeners of all levels, as they are easy to grow and require minimal maintenance. They can be grown in a variety of climates, and their flowers come in a wide range of colors.
When planting hardy geraniums, it is important to consider companion plants that will complement their beauty. Some great options include lavender, hostas, daylilies, irises, rosemary, and yarrow. With a little research and planning, you can create a beautiful and low-maintenance garden filled with a variety of colorful and fragrant plants.
FAQ
What are the benefits of growing hardy geraniums?
The benefits of growing hardy geraniums include their low-maintenance nature, their long-lasting blooms, their ability to attract pollinators, and their resistance to deer and rabbits.
What other plants can be grown with hardy geraniums?
Other plants that can be grown with hardy geraniums include alyssum, lavender, coreopsis, and daylilies.
How much sunlight do hardy geraniums need?
Hardy geraniums need full sun to partial shade, with at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
How often should hardy geraniums be watered?
Hardy geraniums should be watered when the soil is dry to the touch, usually every 1-2 weeks.
What type of soil is best for growing hardy geraniums?
Well-drained, fertile soil with a neutral pH is best for growing hardy geraniums.
How can hardy geraniums be propagated?
Hardy geraniums can be propagated by division, cuttings, or seed.
