Geranium, Cranesbill, Hardy Geranium 'Ann Folkard'

It's the chartreuse new foliage, long bloom season, and weaving habit that make this geranium special.

I tried this once,...Read More and it was dead within a year. I've read that it performs much better in cool-summer climates (Great Britain and the Pacific Northwest) than in mine (Boston Z6a), but I'm withholding judgement till I've tried it again, with some of the newer related hybrids.

This hybrid of G. procurrens and G. psilostemon was bred in Lancashire, England by the Rev. O. G. Folkard and named after his daughter.

In an article on the RHS website, Graham Rice includes this among the ten best hardy geraniums (at least for the British climate). In 1996, the RHS awarded it its coveted Award of Garden Merit. [HYPERLINK@www.rhs.org.uk]

In the Chicago Botanic Garden's hardy geranium plant evaluations, this cultivar was tried three times and all three times it died during its first summer. [HYPERLINK@www.chicagobotanic.org]

G. x 'Anne Thomson' is a very similar hybrid with the same parents, said to have a slightly smaller stature and slightly smaller flowers, but also said to have greater heat tolerance and to perform better than 'Ann Folkard' in eastern North America. However, in the Chicago tests, it only survived two winters.

'Sandrine' is a seedling of 'Ann Folkard' with flowers twice the size, a larger plant with reportedly more vigor in my climate, but the same chartreuse new foliage, long bloom season, and weaving habit.

I love this Geranium! Always a joy along my perrenial row, I just dug up a nice portion for my Daughter for her Mothers day gift, I'm sur...Read Moree it will give her many year's in her own sunny perrenial border! Mine tends to enjoy it's mostly sunny spot but it does occasionaly recieve a bit of shade from the neighbors tree - I highly reccomend this plant, now I want he blue flowered one!

The flower color is indeed very vibrant & needs thoughtful placement, especially because of the long bloom time, but it is quite lovely n...Read Moreonetheless. The foliage is what really makes this plant brilliant in the garden, with the younger leaves showing the chartreuse better, and darkening up some with age.

It tends to weave rather than sprawl, which is a nice effect. Has overwintered well even in my z5 garden. I like it scrambling thru salmon-pink or white roses and silvermound artemisias.

In the UK this Geranium grows annually to a height of 4ft and spread of at least 6 ft but dies back to a compact rootstock in winter.It i...Read Mores used as a scrambler over early flowering shrubs as it blooms continuously all season.Being sterile it does not set seed and must be propagated by division or cuttings which need pampering for the first winter.The foliage is naturally tinted yellow more so the new leaves.When the plant gets large it is very impressive but the colour needs careful placing.A more compact form 18"x18" is called Ann Thompson.