Geranium Cambridge

Description

Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Cambridge’ – cranesbill

Botanical name: Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Cambridge’
Common names: Cranesbill
Family: Geraniaceae
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Habit: Low, spreading, mat-forming groundcover
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 20–25cm tall × 60cm spread (spreading)
Foliage: Aromatic, glossy, lobed green leaves, colouring red and bronze in autumn; semi-evergreen to evergreen
Flowers: Masses of bright lilac-pink flowers in early summer (May–July)
Scent: Foliage aromatic when brushed
Aspect / light: Full sun to partial shade; tolerates dry shade
Soil: Most soils; well-drained; tolerates dry shade and poor soil once established; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H7 (very hardy, below −20°C); USDA zones 4–8
Exposure: Sheltered or exposed; very tolerant
Native range: Garden form; hardy geraniums are native across Europe and Asia
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Geranium ‘Cambridge’ is a superb low, spreading cranesbill with glossy aromatic foliage and masses of bright lilac-pink early-summer flowers. Tough, weed-suppressing groundcover for sun or dry shade.

GardenAdvice notes

A first-rate groundcover cranesbill, ‘Cambridge’ forms low, dense, weed-suppressing carpets of glossy, aromatic, lobed foliage — largely evergreen, and colouring beautifully red and bronze in autumn — smothered in early summer with bright lilac-pink flowers. Tough and adaptable, coping with sun, shade and even dry shade beneath trees, it is a wonderfully low-effort plant for difficult spots and edging.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring or autumn in most soils soil in full sun to partial shade; tolerates dry shade — hardy geraniums are among the easiest and most adaptable of all perennials. Space about 45cm apart. Water while establishing.

Care & maintenance

Very low-maintenance. Simply shear it over after flowering to tidy it and freshen the foliage, and remove any tatty leaves in spring — being largely evergreen it needs no hard cutting back. Water while establishing; thereafter it is notably drought-tolerant. Lift and divide, or detach rooted pieces, in spring or autumn.

Propagation

• Division: Lift and divide, or detach rooted pieces, in spring or autumn — extremely easy.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free and healthy — hardy geraniums are among the most reliable of all perennials. Slugs may graze new growth, and powdery mildew or rust can occur in dry spells. Otherwise easy.

Uses in the garden

Superb as low, weed-suppressing groundcover in sun or shade, including dry shade under trees and shrubs, for edging paths, on banks, and beneath roses, where its glossy aromatic foliage and bright flowers earn their place.

Wildlife value

Hardy geraniums are excellent for pollinators: their open, saucer-shaped flowers are very attractive to bees, hoverflies and other beneficial insects, often over a long season.

Toxicity & safety

Hardy geraniums are generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets. Note that they are quite different from pelargoniums (the tender bedding and pot ‘geraniums’), which are toxic to cats and dogs.

GardenAdvice tip

‘Cambridge’ is a brilliantly low-effort plant — a dense, glossy, aromatic evergreen carpet that smothers weeds, copes with dry shade under trees, colours up in autumn, and disappears under lilac-pink flowers in early summer. It needs almost nothing from you beyond a shear-over after flowering. One of the best edging and groundcover plants there is.

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