The cranesbill Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ is an easy perennial that grows best in the garden. For each plant prepare a spacious planting hole. The planting distance is about 20 cm. Place the root ball at the right depth in the planting hole, the top should be just below ground level. Fill with soil and press firmly. Water immediately after planting. Geranium ‘Jonhson’s Blue’ grows and flowers well in normal garden soil, in a spot in full sun or partial shade.

Combining geraniums

Thanks to their fresh leaves, the garden geranium is decorative in the garden both before and after flowering. They create clumps that cover the soil. You can combine this beautiful geranium with Stachys (Stachys officinalis) 'Rosea', veronica (Veronica spicata) and Lady's Mantle (Achemilla mollis).

The strong border plant Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ can be easily cultivated and requires little maintenance. Water plenty, especially in the period after planting, and also during dry periods, making sure that the soil around the roots does not dry out. Cut off its faded flower stems to encourage a good growth. This will help to generate new flowers for you to enjoy all over again. Before the stems die back in winter cover the plant with a layer of fallen leaves. Provide it with garden manure early in the spring, cut all of its leaves off and soon you will see some new shoots growing above the ground.

Cranesbill in winter

Almost all garden geranium varieties change colour in autumn. Red and/or yellow - so nice to see! Most varieties do retain their foliage in the winter but will lose it if the winter is particularly severe. However, you will soon see them shoot up again in the spring and once again form a dense foliage. Some varieties do die back entirely before winter arrives so you do best to give them a mulch of leaf litter. A nice mulch of well-rotted manure in the spring will be appreciated, and then you can also cut back last year's foliage and you will soon see those new shoots appear.

Geranium ‘Jonhson’s Blue’ is a popular and well loved border plant. All through the summer the plant is smothered with distinguished violet blue flowers. In the centre the flower colouring becomes slightly lighter with subtle white veins. The leaves are lobed in a fine way that they take up little space. Geranium ‘Jonhson’s Blue’ is not self seeding. The flowers are among the favourites of the bumblebees and bees. Looks wonderful planted between roses!