Types of Geraniums – Zonal, Ivy, or Scented

Buy a patio geranium by class first — zonal, ivy, regal, or scented-leaf — not by flower color alone. All of them are tender Pelargonium. None of them is hardy cranesbill. Sort all 32 here. Care stays on How to Grow Geraniums. Pots on Geraniums in Containers.

Choose by class, not hardy geranium

Americana Red and Mrs Pollock are zonals. Cascade White and Ivy Geranium are trailers. Lord Bute and Fareham are regals. Attar of Roses and Citronella are scented-leaf. Full sun and drain stay on the grow and pot pages. Hardy cranesbill is not in this catalog.

Class is habit and use, not a hardiness system. Every group here is tender. If you wanted a perennial that returns in a cold border, you want Geranium, not Pelargonium. Open Types of Hardy Geraniums for that job. Flower color comes after that genus fork at the first checkout.

Flower color repeats across classes. A red zonal and a red ivy are different plants. Read trailing vs upright on the tag, then pick color. Regals often need cooler nights to set bloom (Colorado State / UC Marin). Do not shop a Martha Washington as a heat-proof bedding zonal.

Wrong geranium buys that look like a types page

• Hardy cranesbill as a patio geranium — border Geranium returns outdoors. It is not this genus. Use How to Grow Hardy Geraniums.
• Ivy in a small upright pot — Cascade White wants a basket or a rim it can trail over. A stiff zonal will not spill.
• Regal as all-summer bedding — Lord Bute wants a cooler bloom window. Hot nights stall flower. Buy a zonal for a heat patio.
• Citronella as pest control — Citronella is a scent. It is not a proven mosquito screen. Buy it for the leaf, not a promise.
• A tender pot left for a freeze — class does not buy winter hardiness. Overwinter or replace. Steps live on Overwintering Geraniums.

These are checkout mistakes, not water problems. A deadhead will not turn a trailer into an upright, and it will not turn Pelargonium into cranesbill. Lock class before color.

What each class offers

Zonal / bedding. Upright plants, often with a darker horseshoe mark on the leaf (Colorado State). Americana Red is the usual patio checkout. Mrs Pollock is a zonal with marked foliage. They take full sun and a draining pot or bed. Deadhead. Pinch young tips. This is the default summer geranium, not a hardy border clump. If you wanted a plant that returns after a freeze without storage, you are in the wrong genus.

Ivy / trailing. Pelargonium peltatum — waxy, ivy-shaped leaves and a trailing stem (RHS). Cascade White and Ivy Geranium are the usual basket checkout. Same sun and drain as zonals, with room to spill. Afternoon shade can help above about 85°F (UC Marin). Do not stuff a trailer into a tiny upright cup. Heat plus wet mix is the usual ivy fail, not a missing fertilizer.

Regal / Martha Washington. Pelargonium × domesticum — large, often marked flowers and a cooler night bloom window (Colorado State). Lord Bute and Fareham sit here. They are show pots, not heat-proof bedding. Same tender winter as the rest of this catalog. Confirm nights before you treat one as a zonal. If your patio never cools at night, shop zonal or ivy instead of hoping a regal will behave like bedding.

Scented-leaf. Grown for perfume when you brush the leaf. Flowers are often smaller. Attar of Roses is rose-scented. Citronella is a lemon-type scent, not a proven insect screen. Site them where a hand will hit the leaf. Same sun, drain, and frost rule as zonals. Site them where you will actually touch the foliage, or the perfume job is wasted.

Specialty. Collector forms without a stronger zonal/ivy/regal/scented cue. Henry Weller sits here. Confirm habit on the profile. Do not invent a fifth sun rule. Full sun and drain still apply unless the profile says otherwise. Open the card before you assume zonal height or an ivy trail.

If two labels disagree, trust habit on the tag — upright, trailing, regal, or scented — then open a profile. Care after you choose stays on How to Grow Geraniums. Pots stay on Geraniums in Containers. Winter stays on Overwintering Geraniums.

Browse all geraniums by group (32)

Browse all geraniums by group. Groups follow class, then specialty and leftover library entries. Skip groups that miss the pot or basket you have, then open two or three profiles. Cards shortlist after the class; they are not a second water calendar. Confirm trailing vs upright before you copy a neighbor’s hanging basket. Empty groups are omitted. The count in each heading is this catalog, not a promise every nursery stocks that cultivar.

Zonal / bedding geraniums (8)

Americana and classic upright zonals for pots and borders — full sun and sharp drainage.

Ivy / trailing geraniums (6)

Pelargonium peltatum cascades for baskets and window boxes — still tender Pelargonium, not hardy cranesbill.

Regal / Martha Washington (6)

Pelargonium × domesticum — large, often marked flowers, a cooler bloom window, and a different overwinter path than zonals.

Scented-leaf geraniums (6)

Attar, citronella, and scented lines — leaf perfume, not just bedding color.

Specialty Pelargonium (4)

Unique or collector faces without a stronger series cue — confirm habit on the profile.

Other geraniums (2)

Entries without zonal/ivy/regal/scented cues — open the profile before assuming class.

Sun, water, and deadhead live on How to Grow Geraniums. Hardy cranesbill lives on Types of Hardy Geraniums.