Gardening with Hardy Geraniums

Hardy geraniums were the first plants to shrug off the rigours of her coastal climate and grow in Birgitte Husted Bendtsen's garden every bit as well as they did in the fertile, sheltered plots further east in Denmark. Add to this their tolerance of dogs and children, resistance to pests and diseases, interesting foliage, and delightful flowers in a wide range of colours, and it is little surprise that Birgitte developed an insatiable passion for them. In this book, she shares her knowledge of cultivating the plants and highlights the most garden worthy species and varieties.

Expert cultivation advice, including comments on soil preferences and hardiness, is followed by fascinating information on pollination, and failsafe propagation secrets. Captivating colour photographs display key characteristics of hardy geraniums including their legendary range of flower colour and intricate, often highly marked, foliage. Here readers may marvel at the many cultivars of Geranium x oxonianum, enjoy favorites like Geranium 'Ann Folkard' with its striking black eye against magenta background, and covet the fine-leaved, blue-flowering Geranium himalayense. Smaller varieties ideal for growing in rockeries, containers and troughs are described along with perfect geraniums for associating with roses of all colours. Birgitte Husted Bendtsen communicates like a true enthusiast and the text is peppered with interesting anecdotes including news of an exciting variety that is prized for its blue flowers and modest stature.

With over 400 species and hybrids of hardy geraniums and 450 beautiful colour photographs, this book is both rich in information and beautiful to browse. It is a long-awaited reference that will delight seasoned enthusiasts and introduce a whole new generation of gardeners to the charms of the hardy geranium.

Media reviews of this book:

"Avid gardeners with a passion for geraniums will relish Gardening with Hardy Geraniums as [an] in-depth survey of geranium varieties."

—Bookwatch, August 2005

"Readers will find here a rich source of information and beauty as they share with the author her enthusiasm for these plants with their interesting foliage and delightful flowers."

—Suzie Heap, California Garden, November/December 2006

"A first-class reference book describing over 400 geraniums, including many of the latest cultivars. The photographs are excellent, detailing both flowers and leaves for quick and easy identification of plants, the descriptions clear and concise."

—Sue Tasker, Professional Gardener, April 2006

"The faultless photography offers a botanist's ideal of blossom and leaf varieties. ... This spectacular work should find a place on library shelves and in the hands of home gardeners and horticulturists."

—Mary Ellen Snodgrass, American Reference Books Annual, March 2006

"The wonderfully detailed photographs illustrate in eye-opening variety the wide range of blooms and foliage available in this group of plants."

—Karin E. Guzy, Perennial Notes, February 2006

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An excerpt from this book:

Isn't it amazing that bees can definitely distinguish between a geranium and a salvia, or another flower in the garden, when I consider how long it took me to learn to recognise the most common garden plants? But bees do not always distinguish between species within the same genus. So a bee may transfer pollen from one species to another, making it possible for two species of cranesbill to be crossed with one another and form a hybrid. If the hybrid is found in a garden where several species of geranium grow, you cannot know which are the "parents". If a plant has appeared in a group of self-sown geraniums, perhaps you can tell which is the "mother" but not the "father" ...

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