Geranium ‘Espresso’

Chocolate Foliage from Spring till Frost!

Blooms for nearly 2 months.

A truly exceptional Hardy Geranium, ‘Espresso’ offers large, lobed foliage of dark coffee-brown from spring till frost, only occasionally displaying a few green edges in summer. As showy as a Heuchera but with the addition of plentiful, attractive 5-petaled flowers over a long season, this Spotted Geranium is pure pleasure.

The foliage is deeply cut and very attractive, reaching 5 to 6 inches wide and held out flat for maximum show. From late spring through early summer (nearly 2 months in most climates), masses of 1 1/2-inch blooms of lavender-pink appear above the leaves, their pastel hues emphasizing the rich, intense dark brown of the foliage. Butterflies adore these blooms, and after the flowers pass, large and attractive beaked seed capsules (the “crane’s bills” of this plant’s common name) follow, remaining for many weeks.

‘Espresso’ is a cultivar of our native G. maculatum, or Spotted Geranium, so it is quite impervious to pests and diseases. Left alone by rabbits and deer, it tolerates heat, humidity, and cold well, though its best performance will always be in well-drained, enriched garden soil. A very low-maintenance choice, once established it will even thrive happily in the dry shade beneath trees. Highly recommended as a ground cover for dappled to partial shade borders from north to south, it also flourishes in containers. Zones 4-8.