Hardy Geranium 'Claridge Druce' - 5 pieces

CHF 23.75

Hardy Geranium 'Claridge Druce' - 5 pieces

Name: Hardy Geranium 'Claridge Druce' - 5 pieces
Brand: Geranium
Price: 23.75 CHF
Availability: OutOfStock

Geranium × oxonianum 'Claridge Druce'

CHF 23.75

Silky pink flowers with carmine veins
Long flowering from May to August
Dense, grey-green, mostly evergreen foliage
About 60–80 cm tall, very vigorous
Tolerates heat and drought

'Claridge Druce' is an old, particularly vigorous Geranium × oxonianum. From May to August it bears silky pink flowers with fine carmine veins above dense, grey-green foliage. A carefree ground cover that also tolerates heat and dry spells well.

About this variety

'Claridge Druce' has been widely grown in gardens for decades, and for good reason. The plant grows strongly, flowers for a long time and needs hardly any care. Its flowers are pink with a silky sheen and fine, darker veins. The foliage forms a dense, glossy grey-green carpet that often stays green in winter too.

At 60–80 cm tall, it is ideal for covering larger areas, for example beneath shrubs, on slopes or at woodland edges. It grows in sun and partial shade. It can become too vigorous for small beds. Lovely partners are grasses, foxgloves and tall bellflowers. Beneath roses it hides bare stems and keeps the soil nicely covered. Slugs and snails usually avoid the plant, which makes it particularly easy to care for.

Bees and bumblebees visit the flowers for many weeks. It is of limited use in the vase. The variety self-seeds readily, and the seedlings usually look very similar to the parent plant. It also establishes reliably on slopes and in difficult spots beneath trees. In autumn the foliage often takes on warm colours, extending its impact in the border.

Planting

Plant from March to May or in September and October. The planting hole should be twice the size of the root ball. The root collar should then sit just below the soil surface, no deeper. A spacing of 40–50 cm gives each plant enough room. Finally, water in well.

Care

Water regularly in dry spells during the first summer; after that the plant is undemanding. Compost in spring is all the feeding it needs. Cut the plant back close to the ground after the first flush of flowers; it will then produce fresh growth and often flower a second time. It can be divided every three to five years.

Specifications

Botanical name: Geranium × oxonianum 'Claridge Druce'
Genus: Hardy geranium
Class: Various
Supplied as: Bare roots
Flower colour: Purple, Pink
Flower size: 3 cm
Flowering time: May, June, July, August
Flowering season: Late spring, Early summer, High summer
Foliage colour: Grey-green, Silvery
Height: 70 cm
Spread: 60 cm
Habit: Clump-forming
Position: Sun, Partial shade
Suitable for: Bed, Bed edge and border, Pot and container, Rock garden, Wildlife garden and meadow, Woodland edge
Soil type: Chalky, Clay, Loamy, Sandy
Drainage: Well-drained
Soil moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Neutral
Soil note: Suitable for many Swiss garden soils. A loose structure and good drainage matter more than a particular soil type.
Planting time: March, April, May, September, October
Planting depth: Just cover the root collar
Spacing: 40–50 cm
Number per m²: 5
Hardiness in Switzerland: Hardy in Switzerland
Hardiness by location: Hardy, also at higher altitudes
Hardiness zone (USDA): 4–8
Overwintering note: Generally hardy in garden soil in Switzerland. At high, windy sites and in containers, plan extra winter protection and avoid winter wet.
For containers: Only partly suitable for containers
Container note: Only recommended in a sufficiently large, stable, well-drained container.
Cut flower: Partly suitable as a cut flower
Naturalising: Not suitable
Naturalising note: Persists for several years in a suitable spot, but does not normally spread over larger areas on its own.
For bees and butterflies: Pollinator-friendly
RHS hardiness: H7