11 hardy geraniums for shade
Bring colour and style to shady spots, with these 11 hardy geranium varieties.
Vibrant, beautiful and easy to grow, hardy geraniums deserve a spot in every garden.
Plenty thrive in shade, too. Whether it's at the foot of a north-facing wall or simply the dappled shade of deciduous trees, these varieties will thrive as long as the soil is reasonably fertile and isn't parched or waterlogged.
Take a look at our feature to discover what type of garden shade you have.
More plants for shade content:
Discover 11 gorgeous hardy geraniums for shade, below.
Geranium clarkei ‘Kashmir Purple’
Although it is more lavender-blue than purple, the flower of this geranium does darken to purple around the white eye, and the veins are purple, too. This eagerly spreading plant is perfect in shady areas, wherever you need something robust and vigorous to create good ground cover.
Height x spread: 45cm x 1.5m
Geranium ‘Patricia’
The glistening, vivid magenta flowers have a contrasting burgundy centre and open right through summer, after which the foliage turns fiery. 'Patricia' is a more subtle version of the dramatic but rather large and floppy Geranium psilostemon, and prefers a few hours of sun.
H x S: 70cm x 70cm
Geranium himalayense ‘Gravetye’
Facing outward for a bright display, the lavender-blue flowers are reddish-purple in the centre, with veins of a similar hue. After the first May/June flush, it will repeat in September. 'Gravetye' makes good ground cover, filling the spaces around mature shrubs.
H x S: 30cm x 60cm
Geranium nodosum
This adaptable geranium is a good plant for dry shade. The foliage is bright and glossy, and the pale-centred, mauve-pink flowers open over a long season, from June to August, when many other shade plants are over. It is clump-forming and often self-seeds.
H x S: 40cm x 60cm
Geranium phaeum ‘Raven’
Smoky purple flowers with slightly swept-back petals and a pale centre sit atop the vertical stems. Cut back after the June flush, then water well for a second crop of blooms and foliage. Happy in dry shade, its bright foliage forms a fresh green mound in spring.
H x S: 60cm x 30cm.
Geranium ‘Nimbus’
As the petals don’t overlap, this geranium's distinctive flowers look like a ring of five big, bluish-violet teardrops with vivid purple veins. The gold-tinted, finely dissected young foliage matures to rich green as the June-to-August flowering begins. Shade will limit its natural vigour.
H x S: 40cm x 75cm
Geranium ‘Orion’
The star of the RHS trial of hundreds of hardy geraniums, this stupendous plant has large, lavender-blue flowers with red-purple veins and white eyes. These open all summer, over loose, spreading mounds of dissected leaves. It’s great in the shade of mature roses.
H x S: 80cm x 80cm
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
The clear blue, white-eyed blooms of this geranium open repeatedly from June to October on cascading shoots. 'Rozanne' flowers most prolifically in part-shade; in darker spots, it sprawls more and flowers less. Great in a pot or as ground cover, it shoots in among its neighbours.
H x S: 30cm x 60cm
Geranium ‘Anne Thomson’
This geranium's golden spring foliage lights up dark corners, then turns green as its magenta flowers open in June and July. Subsequent new leaves are also golden. It’s similar to ‘Ann Folkard’ but better behaved and less rampageous, with spreading shoots from a tight crown.
H x S: 50cm x 1.2m
Geranium x oxonianum ‘Wargrave Pink’
The pink flowers of 'Wargrave Pink' have an unusual, slightly bluish tinge. After the early summer flowering, cut to the ground and water well to promote a second flush later in the season. This geranium is robust enough to thrive in the shade of mature shrubs.
H x S: 60cm x 90cm
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’
As well as pale-pink flowers in May and June, this geranium has attractive green foliage that spreads slowly but steadily, and often turns reddish in autumn. 'Ingwersen's Variety' one of the toughest hardy geraniums, ideal in dry shade and containers, and filling in prettily around shrubs.
H x S: 30cm x 60cm
