Hardy geranium ‘Azure Rush’

* Common name: Hardy geranium (cranesbill) ‘Azure Rush’

* Botanical name: Geranium ‘Azure Rush’

* What it is: This new variety of hardy geranium (cranesbill) is an offshoot of the popular geranium ‘Rozanne,’ selected for its very long bloom time as well as a habit that’s more compact than ‘Rozanne.’

   Flowers are a bluish-lavender and start in late spring, then keep coming until frost.

* Size: Grows 15 to 18 inches tall with a spread of about two feet.

* Where to use: These make ideal front-of-border edging plants but are versatile in lots of settings, including perennial borders, foundation plantings, and at the base of shrubs, roses, and evergreens. Does well in full sun, but sites with morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal.

* Care: Almost none. Tough in droughts but also takes damp soil, seldom runs into bug or disease problems, and even rabbits and deer usually let hardy geraniums alone.

   Keep damp the first season to establish roots, then water usually not needed except for drought situations. Cut back foliage to two or three inches at the end of winter and give a light trim if desired in late summer.

   Scatter a balanced, granular flower fertilizer over the beds right after the end-of-winter cutback. Plants can be dug and divided in March after several years of growth if you want to “expand the flock” or give some divisions away.

* Great partner: ‘Azure Rush’s’ lavender flowers look good with just about any pastel-blooming shrub or perennial – especially roses. Ornamental grasses make a good textural contrast.