July 2004 Newsletter

He who plants a garden finds happiness - Chinese proverb Perennial Geraniums If you do not have perennial geraniums in your garden, you will not want to wait another minute. Not the big-flowered, red, pink, white or purple annual geraniums (Pelargonium) commonly grown in containers, but the lovely indispensible perennial geraniums (Geranium) also known as cranesbills. Once a native of European and American woodlands, the cranesbill has been adopted into gardens everywhere. Garden designers rely on these dependable, low-maintenance perennials to provide flowers in the spring, an attractive habit in the summer and a touch of foliar color in the fall. Cranesbills are mounding plants with finely dissected leaves and buttercup-type flowers in shades of blue, pink, purple and white. There is a cranesbill for practically every garden situation. While some grow in neat mounds, others spread and can be used as herbaceous ground covers. Some have large leaves; others small, delicate leaves. Most typically bloom in May and June and, in some cases, sporadically throughout the summer. Most cranesbills perfer full sun but need protection from the afternoon heat in summer. If you provide afternoon shade, the plants will live longer and increase their flower production. Their growth rate is moderate to fast reaching a height of 12" and a spread of 24" growing best in moist, well-drained soil. The following are links to plant sources and more detailed information: Nature Hills Nursery Joy Creek Nursery