Spotlight on Hardy Geraniums … & a Local Connection

Quite unbelievably we have the best range of hardy geraniums ever here at Hare Hatch - 30 varieties! 

If you’re looking for a reliable, fuss-free perennial, hardy geraniums are a must-have. Ideal for front of border or softening the edges of paths, these versatile plants flower for months, attract pollinators and thrive in sun or shade. The form dense mounds or trailing groundcovers of average 30-45cm tall and 60-90cm wide. They’re easy to divide, meaning more plants for free, and suppress weeds with their dense habit!

Popular varieties include Geranium Rozanne, known for its long flowering period, and Geranium 'Johnson’s Blue', a classic choice for cottage gardens. Did you know Geranium 'Rozanne' is the Holder of RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). It was shortlisted for the Chelsea Plant of the Centenary for the decade 1993-2002, and was the winner of the public vote. There's only 6 - better come and get them!

The Local Connection
We have several Geranium 'Wargrave Pink' for you. This geranium was ‘found’ in the greenhouses of John Waterer, Sons and Crisp in 1930, which implies that it came about accidentally. It has profuse light salmon pink flowers.

John Waterer, Sons and Crisp Ltd or ’Waterer’s’ as it became known, was a nursery straddling both sides of the A4, known as the Floral Mile, from 1914 to 1975. Yes, that means on this very site plus Farol and the fields behind, Squires, Ladds, Primrose & beyond). Here’s their 1935 catalogue, showing what they were up to! https://archive.org/details/WatererJ1935/page/34/mode/2up. 

I think it’s safe to assume the G. ‘Wargrave Pink’ was found here, and not in one of their other nurseries. As both sides of this part of the A4 / ‘The Floral Mile’ were the nursery I wonder which side the plant occured?

Mr John Waterer was from Surrey, from a long line of nurserymen going back to the 1600s. Mr B. Crisp owned Wargrave Hardy Plant Farm Ltd here at Hare Hatch before he joined forces with Waterer in 1914. More here for you historians… https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHCOL_3255
and a mention here from Ballyroberts Garden in Co. Antrim.

Here’s our full range of our hardy geraniums by hue & habit!

White & Near White

  1. Geranium 'Coombland White' – Low-growing, spreading; Pure white flowers

  2. Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' – Low, mat-forming; White flowers with a pink blush

  3. Geranium pratense 'Black n' White' – Tall, upright; White flowers with dark veining

Soft & Pale Pinks

  1. Geranium 'Pink Pouffe' – Low-growing, compact; Light pink flowers

  2. Geranium 'Dreamland' – Compact, mounded; Soft pink flowers with darker veining

  3. Geranium endressii 'Wargrave Pink' – Clump-forming; Salmon-pink flowers

  4. Geranium cantabrigiense 'Cambridge' – Low-growing, spreading; Pale pink flowers

  5. Geranium 'Mavis Simpson' – Low-growing, spreading; Soft pink flowers with a white center

  6. Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' – Low-growing, compact; Pale pink flowers with dark veins

  7. Geranium sanguineum striatum – Low-growing, spreading; Pale pink flowers with darker veins

Bright & Deep Pinks

  1. Geranium 'Blushing Turtle' – Spreading, semi-evergreen; Pink flowers with a deeper pink center

  2. Geranium 'Sanne' – Mounded, compact; Soft pink flowers

  3. Geranium 'Orkney Cherry' – Compact, spreading; Bright pink flowers with a dark center

  4. Geranium 'Confetti' – Mounding, compact; Pale lilac-pink flowers

  5. Geranium 'Patricia' – Spreading, mounded; Deep pink flowers with dark centers

  6. Geranium 'Russell Prichard' – Low-growing, trailing; Deep pink flowers

  7. Geranium 'Ann Folkard' – Sprawling, trailing habit; Magenta-purple flowers with a dark center

  8. Geranium 'Ann Thomson' – Trailing, vigorous; Magenta-pink flowers with dark veining

  9. Geranium 'Dragon Heart' – Sprawling, trailing; Large magenta-pink flowers with a black center

  10. Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei' – Low-growing, spreading; Bright magenta-pink flowers

Purples & Violets

  1. Geranium macrorrhizum 'Czakor' – Spreading, semi-evergreen; Deep magenta-pink flowers

  2. Geranium 'Dusky Crug' – Low, mounded; Dark maroon-purple flowers

  3. Geranium phaeum 'Joseph Green' – Upright, bushy; Dusky purple flowers with a greenish tint

  4. Geranium 'Stormy Night' – Upright, bushy; Dark purple flowers with deep veining

Lavender & Blue-Purples

  1. Geranium 'JS Matu Vu' – Mounded, spreading; Soft lilac-pink flowers

  2. Geranium ibericum 'Jubatum' – Mounding, bushy; Violet-blue flowers

  3. Geranium 'Orion' – Mounding, slightly spreading; Deep blue flowers with a white center

  4. Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' – Clump-forming; Sky-blue flowers

  5. Geranium 'Azure Rush' – Compact, spreading; Soft blue flowers with white centers

  6. Geranium 'Rozanne' – Spreading, mounded; Violet-blue flowers with a white center

 
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