Hardy geraniums

This week it’s:

HARDY geraniums are invaluable in the garden. They bloom in a wide variety of colours, and they have equally varied growing habits, ensuring their suitability for almost any garden. The late Rosemary Verey (a leading plantswoman of the 20th century), maintained that hardy geraniums were the “backbone of her planting”. They would be planted in just the right places to be enjoyed, and then everything else in the garden would come later. Well, hardy geraniums are starting to come into flower now, so it’s the ideal opportunity to take a sideways glance at them.

■ In 2013, Geranium Rozanne (with flowers of rich mid-blue, each with a white centre), was named by gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show as Plant of the Century.

A question of size

THERE are hardy geraniums