A little over two years ago I vowed, on this blog, to get rid of all my Geranium Brookside.

At that point, they had resided in my garden for a few years and I wasn’t the least bit impressed. Even in full bloom, they looked messy and out of control; and not in a cottage garden like good way.

Needless to say, I didn’t have the cajones to ditch them. Instead, I followed my mantra of “If at first they don’t succeed, just move ’em somewhere else”. And two years later, I’m glad I didn’t heave them on to the compost pile. I’m still not necessarily sold on them, but let’s say they are trending in a more positive light.

I was further inspired to keep the faith last year, when I read the results from the Fine Gardening geranium trials at the Chicago Botanic Garden. They received a 4 star rating with outstanding flower production. OK, maybe I need to stay patient and let this all play out.

So let’s look back on last year.

I really like how Geranium Brookside looks in its early stages in mid spring. Nice compact foliage:

And here they are in full bloom:

 

Not too bad, especially now that they are in a location where they can spread their wings a bit and spill over on to other plants. A much better fit.

I even noticed more bee traffic in this new locale:

They still look a bit ragged when their initial bloom is complete:

So cutting back hard after that bloom period is an absolute must. And to their credit, they bounce back nicely in only a few weeks:

And fit in quietly amongst all the other perennials, shrubs and grasses:

I will tell you, contrary to what I’ve read online, I have never witnessed any reblooming after the heavy shearing. But I am also holding out hope that this will happen one of these years.

The fall color on Geranium Brookside is pretty solid, but does vary quite a bit year to year. Here is how they looked last year:

And soon after, they fell apart, but that’s OK, we’ve all moved on by that point:

And there you have it. Decent but not overwhelmingly eye catching.

I will leave them in their current location again this year and monitor the results … because that is how this guy rolls.

Before I go, here are some quick bits of info on Geranium Brookside:

• The bloom color is best described as lavender and the blooms have a white “eye”
• For me, the blooming begins in late spring and in fact, these were in full bloom for me on May 30th last year (thanks trusty spreadsheet).
• Work in both full sun and part shade
• To date, these geraniums have been both deer and rabbit resistant and that cannot be underestimated.
• The mature size is about 2′ x 2′
• Survives in zones 4-8

Anyone else have experiences they are willing to share on this plant?

Do tell.

John