True or hardy or perennial geraniums belong to the genus Geranium. You will sometimes see them referred to as cranesbill geraniums, because their seed pods do somewhat resemble a crane's bill, the Greek work for crane. They are low growing plants that spread by rhizomes. The foliage is often toothed and remains attractive. The flowers float on top of the plant, in shades of white, pink, magenta, purples and blues.

varieties in Geraniums.

Geranium endressii - Geranium endressii is probably what most gardeners envision first, when they think about hardy geraniums. It forms mounds of deeply-cut, glossy green foliage that is topped with cup-shaped flowers in various shades of pink or magenta. Geranium endressii is a quick spreader and makes a wonderful groundcover or mass planting.

Geranium sanguineum - Geranium sanguineum has the unfortunate nickname of Bloody Cranesbill because its foliage turns a bright crimson in the fall. It is actually an attractive plant all season, in or out of bloom. The foliage is usually more distinctly cut than other geraniums, giving it a delicate appearance. The typical cup-shaped flowers come in shades of pink, magenta and white. Geranium sanguineum has one of the best bloom displays of all the geraniums. The flowers can completely hide the foliage and repeat bloom can be expected. Geranium sanguineum spreads less quickly than Geranium endressii and really requires little to no care.

True Blue Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' - Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' was the first of the brilliant blue geraniums to catch gardeners' eyes. The Royal Horticultural Society gave it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The blue of its flowers is hard to photograph and is always more startling when you actually see the plant. The flower stalks can grow quite tall and will droop under the weight of the blossoms. Most gardeners don't bother to stake them, since it is still an attractive plant, even with its floppy habit.

Geranium 'Double Jewel' - Geranium 'Double Jewel' is a compact geranium with a more upright growing habit than you usually see in hardy geraniums. Growing a mere 10" in height, a single plant can easily fill an 8-10 inch pot and be perfectly happy growing there.

Geranium 'Southcombe Double' -Geranium 'Southcombe Double' has pure pink, fluffy double blossoms that don't look like geraniums, at first glance. But it's every bit has hardy and easy going as its geranium cousins and has the bonus of blooming almost non-stop throughout the summer, into fall.

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