There are white hardy cyclamen too, it is florist cycs that come in so many colors. I think the hardies only come in pink and white.

The "blue" geraniums are not the same plants as zonal pelargoniams. They are hardy perennials. 'Rozanne' being one of the best and most popular but they aren't true blue. There are many many hardy geraniums. 'Rozanne' blooms for a very long time.

Cultivar is 'Gerwat', Rozanne being a selling name and not the cultivar name. Easily found at local outlets, in season. Current Fine Gardening magazine has an article reporting results of Geranium trial at Chicago Botanic Garden, many kinds were evaluated.

I agree...'Rozanne' is pretty much the best blue Geranium out there at the moment...although, depending on light, can trend more towards lavender. It blooms for months, starting in June and going until frost...here are a few pics from my garden.

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Same plants, from another angle

Thanks to each of you who responded. If I'm seeing this correctly, the term "Blue Geranium" is somewhat of a wrong description of what this plant actually is. I used to be more familiar with botanical names, but now I'm down to mainly just common ones. The photos you posted, scottyboipdx, tells me it's more of a ground cover and does spread.

I like to plant 3 red/white/blue containers every summer for our beach house and was just a little tired of the red geranium, blue and white petunias. They are pretty, and meet the need of "bright, bold" colors in the containers. I used to use lobelia and alyssum (white) but in recent years went to the petunias. They are more in proportion to the geranium.

I've seen hardy cyclamen in colors other than pink and white in catalogs, but never in person. I'm guessing they must not be as hardy in our zone if no one is aware of them?

Thanks again for all the help. If a true blue geranium is out there I hope someone lets me know :o) !

Linda

If you are looking for a true blue zonal type geranium, I'm sorry but no, there isn't one even close.

Hardy geraniums are perennials, though Rozanne blooms a long time it isn't really suited for a color bowl.

Hardy cyclamen are hardy here. They are not so common though and are often expensive.

Again, the plant (cultivar) itself is actually called 'Gerwat' with Rozanne being a trademark used to sell 'Gerwat'. May be hard to get used to but since nurseries developing new plants started using trademarks (and patents) to claim rights to these plants some time ago we are all now stuck with making allowances if we wish to be accurate. The key point is that it's never 'Rozanne', in quotes as that is not the cultivar name.

The main hardy cyclamen seen in this area are Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium. These are pretty much standard items at independent garden centers here, in season. Both are offered as dormant tubers and as flowering plants in pots. The latter species in particular is fairly prevalent on local properties, with older plantings having produced quite big tubers that bear numbers of flowers each year. Reseeding is frequent.

Thanks for the clarification, bboy. Also knowing that Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium are the most common in our area will help me as I search. I have a photo I will try to figure out how to post taken several years ago (the mass is 4X the size now) but the color doesn't show well.

Mine came from an unkempt yard my son was renting and I know had to have been growing there for at least 30 years. I used to know the original owners and they were gardeners. Now if I could just find something other than these two--say a RED??? Oh well, that's half the fun.

Off to search!

Linda
PS No luck posting the photo, no options seem available

I'm back again, I appreciate all the information you have all provided. Now I have another concern about the geranium. I've lost the paperwork from the blue geranium I ordered so I don't know for sure which variety it is. It is still in a 4" pot and blooming. It's a beautiful lavender blue--not quite the "blue" I was expecting, but a pretty color.

I have a concern though. The leaf type looks similar to what I've always heard called "wild geranium." It's the one with the pink flowers and reddish stems. I believe it is "herb-Robert" (G. robertianum). A neighbor gave me a few about 10 years ago and they have taken over my yard. I see they are classified by the State as a noxious weed.

So after this long ramble, before I plant these in the ground can anyone tell me if they will become "noxious?" Will they spread into every nook and cranny of the yard and garden or do they stay where they are planted?

Hope this all makes sense, I just don't want another plant that turns into a disaster because it takes over everything. Help, please?

Thanks :o)
Linda

It's hard to say without knowing which blue hardy geranium you bought whether it will self-sow, but it won't be as bad as herb robert, which is an annual and a terrible pest. When do your hardy cyclamen bloom? If it's late winter/early spring then you have Cyclamen coum, but if it blooms in late summer then you have Cyclamen hederifolium. Cyclamen coum comes in deep magenta, all shades of pink, and white, often with purple blotches at the throat of the flowers. Cyclamen hederifolium comes in pink and white. Heronswood nursery used to list a strain called 'Ruby' but I've never seen it listed anywhere else.

None of the blue-ish geraniums have sown in our gardens, but I wish they would. :o)

I've read that Geranium x oxonianum does sow around, but with mulching I've not had them. They do bloom all summer for me though have straggly tall stems. I have them out by the chicken coop and we brush past them daily as well as have the chickens out & they still look good. Great plant to fill in & roam with others in a cottage garden, but not a good edger or pot plant.

G. phaeum (dusky cb or mourning widow) has sown for me & has easily transplanted. It is a large cranesbill more suited to the middle of the border, but when cut back hard after flowering in late spring - early summer has nice foliage the rest of summer and reblooms a bit in fall. Plus the deer nibble them (yet).

I haven't met a geranium I don't like yet, but I do move them around when they're too tall for where I've put them in spring or flop. Lax stems are their downfall especially in my part shade gardens.

So far they're also slug resistant!

Here is a link that might be useful: Geranium oxonianum

How many square yards of Geranium x oxonianium would someone like? I can bring them a truckload. Picture a larger, tougher (more fibrous) Herb Robert - that comes back each year.

This year I dumped about 6 or more inches of arborist wood chips (and shredded tree foliage) on them. They came through it and bloomed, just like the creeping buttercups have.

In fact I think they pushed up through it more strongly than the buttercup.

I have Geranium pratense, the one with purple leaves, and that self-sows like crazy. Also some hybrid masquerading as 'Johnson's Blue' that sows a lot, too. Buxton's Blue also, but not as much. Actually, only the sterile hybrids are the only ones that don't self-sow here and I prefer them.

Thank you for all the help. I apologize for not getting back here to respond, but for some reason I didn't receive notification that their were follow-ups. I'm on my phone and do better reading your suggestions/ideas on my computer so I will follow up there.

In the meantime I took phots of the geraniums and will see if I can upload them. I purchased them as, "hardy blue geraniums" with no description of the variety--won't do that again!

Will respond ASAP when I can get to my computer.

Thanks again ;o)
Linda

No luck trying to upload image :-(

I received this years ago from a man from Bulgaria. He said it was from there, but didn't know the name.
Mike
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Mike's geranium looks like bigroot Geranium macrorrhizum native to to the South east Alps and the Balkans

It has scented foliage that deer do not like and a residue after touching that makes the wash water green. I am hoping it also repels mosquitoes, but can't really tell as we have lots of mosquitoes from the damp forest. I have both the deep & pale pinks.

What color does it bloom?
Album -white
Bevan's variety - deep pink
Ingwersen's variety - pale pink

Corrine

Thank you Corrine.
It does have a musky, scented foliage when disturbed, and the deer leave it alone.
I think they bloom pale pink so I must have Ingwersen's variety. It seeds around a bit, but nothing I can't handle. It sure keeps the weeds down! Except in the wetter places where Creeping Buttercup can be a problem. The leaves are very similar.
Mike

If it came from Bulgaria it may not be 'Ingwersen's Variety', which is a British selection.