Geranium Johnsons Blue

Description

Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ – cranesbill

Botanical name: Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’
Common names: Cranesbill
Family: Geraniaceae
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Habit: Low, spreading, mound-forming
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 30–45cm tall × 60cm spread
Foliage: Deeply divided, lobed green leaves; deciduous
Flowers: Masses of clear lavender-blue saucer-shaped flowers with fine darker veining, in a generous flush in early summer (June–July)
Scent: Not notably scented
Aspect / light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Most soils; moist but well-drained, fertile; 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 ‘Johnson’s Blue’ is the classic blue cranesbill, smothered in clear lavender-blue saucer flowers in early summer. Easy, reliable and much loved by bees, it is superb for borders and groundcover.

GardenAdvice notes

Perhaps the best known of all hardy geraniums, ‘Johnson’s Blue’ smothers itself in early summer with clear lavender-blue saucer-shaped flowers, finely veined in a deeper shade, above neat mounds of divided foliage. Being sterile it sets no seed and never becomes a nuisance. Utterly easy, reliable and long-lived, it is a mainstay of the cottage and mixed border, and bees adore it.

Growing & planting

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

Care & maintenance

The single most useful thing you can do is give it a hard cut-back once the first flush of flowers fades — shear the whole plant right down to near ground level. It responds with a fresh mound of clean foliage and, usually, a second flush of flowers. Cut down old growth in late winter. Lift and divide congested clumps every few years in spring.

Propagation

• Division: Lift and divide established clumps in spring, as growth begins.

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 at the front to middle of cottage, mixed and wildlife borders, as groundcover, on banks and beneath roses and shrubs, where its clear blue flowers mix beautifully with almost anything.

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

‘Johnson’s Blue’ is the classic blue cranesbill, and still one of the best — a generous early-summer flush of clear lavender-blue that goes with everything. It flowers hard and then flops and looks tired, so shear the whole plant right down once the first flush fades: it comes back with fresh clean foliage and usually a second flush. Being sterile, it never self-seeds.

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