Geranium renardii

About this cultivar:

Geranium renardii is a dense, clump-forming perennial that features scalloped, felted, wrinkled, gray-green basal leaves that eventually turn yellow in autumn. Five-petaled, pale mauve to white flowers with deeply etched violet veins and notched petals bloom in late spring to early summer. Some sporadic rebloom may occur throughout summer.

Commonly called Renard geranium, the species name honours Charles Claude (Karl Ivanovich) Renard (1809-1886) who was a German scientist of French origin who made his whole career in Russia. Renard geraniums are wonderful plants for a border or groundcover. The species is native to the Caucusus mountains where it is often found on rocky cliffs, but it will grow in most places.

A short youtube video I found below:

• Position: Full sun, partial shade
• Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
• Flowers: May, June, July, August, September
• Other features: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM), Grows well in Ballyrobert
• Hardiness: H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Habit: Clump forming, bushy, trailing
• Foliage: Deciduous
• Height: 15 - 25 cm (1.5 - 2.5 ft)
• Spread: 50 - 75 cm (1.5 - 2.5 ft)
• Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
• Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
• Colour: Green, white, purple
• Goes well with: -

About this genus:

Geranium is a genus of 422 species of flowering plants found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, They come in  a variety of shapes and sizes and the five-petaled-flowers can be white, pink, purple or blue, often with distinctive veining. The genus name is derived from the Greek géranos meaning ‘crane’. The common name is‘cranesbill’. Why the crane reference? Well, some species in the Geranium genus have a distinctive mechanism for seed dispersal. This consists of a column which springs open when ripe and casts the seeds some distance.  The shape of the unsprung column looks like the bill of a crane- therefore cranesbill!

Geranium is often confused with its close cousin Pelargonium (florist geranium). The two plants were originally lumped into the one genus (genus Geranium), but in the 1780s, the genus Pelargonium was split from Geranium. However, by that time the common name "geranium" for the florists plants was part of the public vernacular and it stuck.

Geraniums are not as flashy as many perennials, but are getting more and more popualr again as newer cultivars become more floriferous and for longer. The attractive foliage of Geraniums, combined with their  blendable, butterfly-attracting, spring and summer flowers, make geraniums staples in the perennial garden. 

The genus geranium has long been recognized as one of the most durable and easy to grow perennials for the garden. They love sun or part shade and will grow in any soil that isn't waterlogged. 

How to use them? Oh, the list is endless and often depends on the specific geranium, its height, habit and colour - they are not just "ground cover" plants!