Raised here in the Botanic, this attractive Geranium is planted beside the lawn at Brookside.
The genus Geranium (cranesbill) is one of seven genera in the Geraniaceae family, and contains over 300 species of annuals, biennials and perennials from temperate regions. They bear rounded, or five-lobed leaves, and the blue, pink, white or purple saucer-shaped flowers are borne in cymes, umbels or panicles. Many are valuable additions to the garden, bearing attractive flowers, and often producing a second flush of flowers if cut back once the first flowers have faded. G. ‘Brookside’ is a hybrid between G. clarkei and G. pratense, and was raised here by the Garden’s taxonomist Peter Yeo in the 1970’s. It is a long-flowering species producing blue-violet blooms set amongst delicate foliage, which takes on orange-red hues in autumn.