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Geranium in the flowerbed is one of the most popular flowers. It is used both in single plantings and in combination with a wide variety of crops. Geranium looks good with petunias, daylilies, marigolds and roses. The main ways to use flowers in garden design with a selection of photos can be found in this article.
Beautiful varieties and types of geraniums
Perennial geranium (pelargonium) has several dozen varieties, which are classified according to different characteristics. One of them is the height of the bush; according to this indicator, tall and short varieties are distinguished. The first include plants reaching a height of at least 50 cm. Examples include the following:
- Field or meadow geranium (Geranium pratense) grows up to 70-80 cm. The apex is branched, the leaves are large, up to 12 cm long. The flowers are numerous, ovoid, the color is violet, blue, lilac, sometimes with a tint of blue.
- Marsh (Geranium palustre) can reach 70 cm. The flowers are large, ovoid, up to 3 cm.The color is rich lilac, the surface is fleecy.
- Forest (Geranium sylvaticum) is also quite tall (up to 80 cm). Peduncles grow vertically, erect. The color of the flowers is varied, mostly pink-lilac and blue, less often white.
- Georgian (Geranium ibericum) also reaches 70-80 cm. It produces very large inflorescences up to 5 cm in diameter, the color is purple, and the veins are purple. It looks very impressive, and also has a long flowering period (6 weeks).
There are also beautiful low-growing varieties of pelargonium that are well suited for classic flower beds and all kinds of compositions:
- Himalayan geranium (Geranium himalayense) produces large flowers of a bluish-purple hue. They reach 4-5 cm in diameter. They appear throughout the summer; there is no clear flowering period.
- Dalmatian (Geranium dalmaticum) reaches a height of only 15 cm, and a width of 40-50 cm. The color is soft pink, very attractive. Can be used as a ground cover.
- Lohfelden (Geranium Lohfelden) is a low-growing variety, reaching 25 cm. It produces snow-white flowers with pinkish veins.
- Spessart (Geranium Spessart) is another low-growing pelargonium (up to 30 cm) with white-pink flowers. Looks especially beautiful in mixborders and flower beds.
Garden geranium in the landscape design of a summer cottage
Pelargonium can be used in a variety of combinations. The easiest way is to create a classic flowerbed, although you can also think about creating a composition taking into account several parameters:
- flower coloring;
- height;
- flowering time;
- growing conditions (shade or light-loving, frequency of watering, soil type).
Geranium looks beautiful in single plantings and in flower arrangements.
Flowerbeds
Creating a flower bed is the easiest way to use pelargonium in the garden and for decoration in the yard, as shown in the photo. Different varieties differ not only in color, but also in height and size of inflorescences. This opens up great opportunities for creating all kinds of flower arrangements:
- A classic monoflower with only one variety of geranium planted. Red varieties look especially beautiful against the backdrop of green shrubs or lawns.
- Multi-tiered flower beds consist of varieties of different heights. Tall plants are planted in the background; they create a kind of background against which low-growing varieties look beautiful. They are accordingly placed in the foreground.
- The good thing about geranium is that it can be planted even in small flower beds located in distant places. If you need to revive a remote, not too noticeable area, this plant is perfect. For example, plant several bushes along the path.
- A combination of different varieties - a photo of such geranium flowers in a flowerbed is shown below. Combinations of white and red look especially beautiful, since they contrast both with each other and with the overall green background.
Classic combination of white and red varieties in the flowerbed
Tapeworm
Geranium is often used to decorate a flower bed in a country house without a composition with other plants. The flowers are quite bright, appear in large quantities, differ in size and color. Solitaires, i.e. single landings are planned in a variety of places:
- close to home;
- against the backdrop of the lawn;
- around the bench;
- on the shore of the pond;
- around the gazebo;
- along the path;
- along the boundaries of the garden or individual zones (to organize the space);
- in separate pots or hanging flower pots that can be used to decorate a fence, terrace, veranda.
Alpine slide
An alpine hill is a rocky flowerbed that imitates a mountain landscape. The central place is occupied by a large stone (like a rock), and small terraces are created on its slopes. For such a flower bed, not only geranium is used, but also other plants:
- dwarf conifers (thuja, juniper);
- young;
- echinacea;
- periwinkle;
- Rhodiola
Pelargonium is suitable for decorating an alpine slide
It can be planted at the foot of the stone, as well as on the sides. It is appropriate to place taller varieties in the background - behind a stone. The composition can also be decorated with daylilies, crocuses and hyacinths.
Rockery
Rockery is a flower arrangement using stones and crushed stones
Unlike a rock garden, there is no one “main” stone that imitates a mountain. It could also be a rocky flowerbed with an original design. To create it, not only pelargonium is used, but also many other plants:
- swimsuit;
- peony;
- astilbe;
- host;
- tenacious;
- fern;
- sage.
Mixborder
The word "mixborder" literally means mixed "border". This is one of the most original flower beds in the form of a ribbon that can:
- frame paths;
- divide garden zones;
- emphasize its boundaries.
To create a flowerbed in the form of a mixborder, bright and mostly low-growing flowers are used, including geraniums, petunias, irises, and hostas. Such compositions look especially beautiful if placed symmetrically along the path. You can plant it on one side of the path to hide unsightly places.
Tree trunk circle
One of the problems that gardeners face is the unsightly area around the tree trunk. Such places look bare and unattractive. To revive them, it is worth using shade-tolerant types of geranium:
- red-brown;
- forest;
- meadow;
- Roberta;
- swamp
What does garden geranium go with?
We can say that pelargonium goes well with almost all common flowers. The composition is made taking into account the height of the plants, as well as their color. The most successful combinations look like this.
Geranium and peony in a flowerbed
Gardeners sometimes call such a neighborhood ideal, since the crops are similar in terms of growing conditions. They complement each other perfectly in terms of aesthetic parameters. You can create a beautiful flower bed from them by planting peonies in the background and geraniums in the foreground. In addition, it is recommended to use a combination of the following crops:
- geranium is magnificent;
- peony of any variety;
- cuff.
It's a good idea to plant together:
- peony of any variety;
- blood red geranium;
- snow-white lily.
Flowerbed of marigolds and geraniums
Pelargonium goes well with marigolds
It is worth keeping in mind that the latter produce bright orange or yellow flowers. Therefore, it is better to combine them with lilac or pink geranium. One of the main options is planting in “islands”, i.e. alternation of rounded flower beds of different crops.
Advice! It is better to place a composition of these flowers next to the vegetable garden, since both geraniums and marigolds repel some pests.
In addition, a decoction of the flowers of these plants can be used to treat crops during an invasion and for prevention.
Flowerbed of geraniums and petunias
Geranium also goes well with petunia. Both plants produce low bushes with bright and numerous flowers. In addition, they grow in similar conditions - in open places, and require approximately the same watering regime.
The photo shows that geraniums in the garden for garden decoration look beautiful with petunias of any shade.But it is important that the bushes are approximately the same height. Then the flowerbed will look very good.
Planting geraniums and petunias in a small flowerbed near the house
Roses and geraniums in one flowerbed
Pelargonium and roses can be used in one composition. One of the winning combinations is snow-white rose and Himalayan geranium. Moreover, you can use both regular (species) and terry.
Photo of the design of a plot with pelargonium in the garden
Several options for using pelargonium in garden landscape design with photos and descriptions:
- Composition with other flowers and herbaceous plants.
- Planting in a flowerbed to frame a path.
- Photo of a flower bed with geraniums of the same variety at the dacha.
- Planting in a separate container.
- Design of a recreation area with a bench.
Conclusion
Geranium in a flowerbed can be used in a variety of variations. First, it is recommended to try to create typical flower beds in the form of a circle or oval. Then you can move on to creating more complex compositions, taking into account the timing of flowering, color and height of the bushes.
