Thanks for your thoughts, Gardengal. I haven't seen 'Larry' or 'Laurence Flatman' hardy geranium in stores here. What I'm wondering is differences in growing conditions such as soil type and drainage, for example. You've mentioned that 'Ballerina' blooms well for you. My experience with this and other cinereum types is that they stay very close to the ground and bloom very sparsely. To me they look like weeds, not at all decorative. Part of the reason drought season is so difficult where I garden is due to extremely fast draining soil. I've amended a great deal to be able to grow anything at all. Peat moss, bagged manures and garden compost are used regularly. For myself, I am an experienced gardener with over 55 years in plant growing behind me. As well, I've worked as a garden designer. None the less, hardy geraniums are creating problems in my garden when drought season advances and the ground becomes difficult to keep moist. They just die out in the center while keeping some flowers and leaves at the ends. This effect is impossible to fix. The plants have to be cut back leaving the space where they are growing, completely bare. Yes they regenerate later in the season, when rains and cooler temperatures prevail. But this habit of dying off during summer is very annoying. It is worse than the die off of Oriental Poppies for leaving space and disorganized mess in the planting bed. If the geraniums had started leafing out at the base before needing to be cut back, that would be one thing. But they don't here. They go completely dormant. I'm surmising this is a coping mechanism for heat and drought.

I don't know what else to tell you :-) I have grown these plants in 4 different gardens personally as well spec'ing them for various design clients with various sitings and soil conditions and none have ever behaved quite as poorly as you describe. If soil moisture during summer is an issue, I'd lean towards both G cinereum or G. sanguineum, as both are very tolerant of dry soils. As is G. macrorrhizum. Heat is not a problem :-))

As an aside, my 'Rosanne' - newly planted this season - is located in an area where irrigation is difficult and it too is thriving, spreading nicely and blooming heavily with only two waterings so far this season!!

btw, "Larry" is just an industry nickname for 'Laurence Flatman' :-) And I have had very good luck cutting back oriental poppies hard right after the bloom cycle has finished. They will reward you with a new flush of healthy foliage in just a couple of weeks that will remain present in our climate all winter. Might even get an early fall rebloom if you are lucky!

Hi Gardengal. Thanks for your comment. I've added a couple of pictures to describe what I am talking about. This is what happens to my hardy geraniums. This is a 'Wargrave Pink' cross variety before being cut down.

As to Oriental Poppies producing a second flush of growth and perhaps flowers, that doesn't happen either. They die back completely. A couple of leaves may sprout on an established plant. Very scrawny looking. Might last until spring, might not. So there are large holes in planting schemes when using these poppies. I love Oriental Poppies. But they do have this, yet again, summer drought issue here. Even the hardiest wild orange varieties of OP do this. Mostly we just pull out dead foliage and wait for spring with these perennials.

Well, they are obviously not working for you for whatever reason :-) So I guess removal is your choice.

FWIW, I can only restate that I have never had this experience with any hardy geranium. In fact many are so prolific in their growth and ability to spread or reseed that they become semi-weedy. My only other suggestion would be to routinely mulch your gardens to reduce soil moisture evaporation issues and to increase its moisture retention properties. And maybe move the Ballerina into a full sun position to encourage heavier flowering.

Geranium 'Ballerina' is growing in full sun as well as part shade in my garden. Makes no difference as to flowering. The plant produces the odd flower in early summer, then stops flowering for rest of the season. Unfortunately even mulching doesn't stop this soil from drying out down several feet into the ground. It's the nature of the beast here. It's this summer drought that differentiates Vancouver Island from mainland PNW climates. Our drought and inability to retain soil moisture puts us into the very rare Modified Mediterranean climate zone. We're modified due to colder temperatures in winter. More winter precipitation too than classic Mediterranean climates. But in no way do we have a Pacific Northwest climate. There's no frequent rainfall throughout the year, or mist and fog. In fact, I don't think we had a single foggy day or night this past year. Winter precipitation comes in the form of huge deluges and storms. If we get snow it is always a blizzard that drops two or three feet in one fall. Winter is pretty much cloudy, with infrequent sun. If we do get winter sunny days, they are the result of an Artic down flow and are accompanied by very freezing weather. It's actually quite hard to grow plants due to these extreme climate swings. 'English garden' type plants like hardy geraniums and Astrantia grow great during mild spring or late summer / fall weather. They die in hot season. Mediterranean plants like lavender and rosemary do great during hot weather, then languish and die come winter. This is due to wet not cold, usually. All native plants here are adapted to drought tolerance, such as Sword Fern (Polystychium munitum).

dara, the entire Puget Sound basin is considered a modified Mediterranean climate! So yes, you do have a climate that is consistent with much of the rest of the PNW. And it's not all that rare. We too are in a recurring summer drought area. In fact, the central Puget Sound area is working on 60 consecutive days with NO measurable rainfall and we have already broken the previous record. This happens every single summer - very dry with warm but infrequently hot weather. I have visited both Vancouver Island and the mainland many, many times - my sister lived there for years - and in neither location is the weather significantly different from here. It may be a tad wetter and colder in winter but overall, not too dissimilar. That the climates in the two areas are so similar is evidenced by the native plants - they are exactly the same in both locations.

btw, soil conditions can be improved.........it is relatively easy to amend your soil to have it be more moisture retentive. And if your soils do not hold any moisture in summer then they shouldn't be overly waterlogged in winter.

To be honest with you, I really don't think weather is playing that much of a role in what's going on. It just maybe that you are not providing the sun, soil and water conditions these plants need to thrive.

It's interesting that the Puget Sound is considered to be Modified Mediterranean climate, Gardengal. I didn't know that. To highlight the differences though, we are past the 90 day mark with no rainfall whatsoever right now. So that is drier than you are experiencing. I have amended my soil here, where I have gardened for over 20 years. Every year peat moss and manure are added to planting areas. As well compost is added when available. The feedback I receive from visitors is that my soil is very good. Regarding moisture killing plants in winter. It is not the lack of drainage that does them in. It is the unremitting rainfall itself. Water is constantly falling from the sky without chance of draining away. A good example of the winter water situation and Mediterranean plants, is lavender. In my garden the most successful lavender grows in pots. Does great in pots, even unprotected in winter. As well, lavender has seeded itself under a set of stairs. The plant grows out from under the stairs, but it's roots are completely protected from falling water there. I never water it. This lavender is in it's fifth year and looking great. Lavender planted in exposed garden beds by contrast, languishes and eventually looks so poorly it is removed. I have gardened in Victoria, Duncan, Port Alberni, New Westminster and Vancouver. None of these places are as bad for drought as Nanaimo, where I live now. Duncan is pretty hot and dry, but has wonderful deep and fertile soil to compensate. Nanaimo is in the rain shadow of coastal mountains. Being a rain shadow climate, it is significantly dryer than other places. For example a contrast is the foggy climate of Tofino and Ucluelet. They are much cooler and wetter than Nanaimo. So perhaps microclimates play a role in the situation. Whatever the cause, I believe the hardy geraniums are dying due to lack of water. When dug up and dumped in water, they recover. Seeing as this is not possible to do in the garden proper, I guess they will have to be removed in favor of more drought tolerant plants. I'm considering as replacement ajuga, woodland strawberries, sweet woodruff (needs shade) or sedums of some sort. Lamium grows all right too, though sometimes is eaten by bugs. All the Carex are good choices, but don't flower. Strangely the lungworts do very well. Poppies are very good especially Welsh Poppies that seed everywhere, and the double Spanish Poppies. The Spanish Poppies' only problem is that they are an orange shade. As said, Oriental Poppies are problematic due to summer dormancy.

maybe different types - renardii for example...and you might have more luck than me with riversleanum. Anything with psilostemon in the lineage - Patricia, Salome, Red Admiral and a few other Orkney Bloom bred ones. Even, with mulching, have a look at palmatum, canariensis and the fabulous maderense which overwinters for me in east anglia (arid UK). Then there are the s.africans - incanum, robustum - easy from seed. Finally, another from seed, the mediterranean. g.aristatum.

Thanks for your comment Campanula. You are very knowledgeable. We're past the high summer heat here now, though still in drought conditions. What I noticed was as soon as temperatures cooled a bit, the dormant hardy geraniums (see picture above) started sprouting new leaves! So it doesn't seem to be water, or a lack of it that has been causing my problems. It is heat. I've decided to give some varieties another chance. My favorite is G.x oxonianum 'Thurstonianum'. This one seems to stand up to heat the best. It didn't go dormant. 'Wargrave Pink' is the geranium shown above. Completely dormant. But it is flushed out with new leaves now. It's a good bloomer, so I'll keep it for now. I'll do some research on the varieties you have mentioned. The climatic difficulties here in Nanaimo are extremes. We're into five months now with only two very modest rainfalls during that time. So almost half the year is extreme drought (plus heat). Then like flipping a switch the weather drops from high nineties (35c) down in under a day, to 60 (15.5c). Then back up. Then torrents of rain start that go on for months. So plants adapted to drought and heat, die in cold and wet. Plants adapted to cool and wet like the hardy geraniums, suffer in heat and drought.

I have in the past tried an Orkney type. It was a total disaster. Didn't make even a season. I think I've tried a renardii if I'm remembering correctly. They're the ones with colourful leaves? It didn't do well either. Will research the others. Key is heat tolerance!

Have grown 'Ann Folkard' in past. It's problem was that it was way too massive! Flopped over all the other plants and smothered them. This was quite a few years ago. Drought conditions weren't prevalent then. I also grow a tall hardy geranium whose name I've forgotten. It was a woman's name. This one also is pretty drought tolerant, however stops flowering as soon as temperatures heat up. The flower is pink.

Here's a picture of my unknown hardy geranium. This is growing with a Canadian Explorer rose. It is over four feet tall, or about one and a half m. This picture is from three years ago. Since then, drought conditions have been steadily worsening here.

Could be another oxonianum - Katherine Adele - does the foliage have marking? I am loving oxonianum f. thurstonianum - I have Southcombe Star and Breckland Brownie - hugely floriferous for later in the summer - going like a maniac right now). Have you tried Patricia? Salome? There is also a rather good cinereum - 'Carol' which I would suggest...but yep, heat will do for many of these plants. Can only reiterate - try something like 'Silver Cloak' from seed...or any of the madeiran species...and maybe creating a shady microclimate with catalpas or some other large leaved tree/shrub.

I remember the large hardy geranium shown above did have a woman's name, but what I can't remember! It flowers more, earlier in the season. Just leaves right now. The leaves are plain green. This is a vigorous plant. Withstands extreme drought without going dormant. We're out of our drought/heat here now, Campanula. All the HG have recovered and grown fresh leaves! It's like it never happened for these plants. But none of them are flowering. I just can't warm to cinerium for some reason. Wimpy foliage, too small, look like weeds and hardly flower at all in my garden. Having some shade is not an issue. Most of the garden is mixed shade, dappled sun and woodland edge light conditions. I don't grow the hardy geraniums in full sun for the most part. Some are growing in deep shade. They flower too! As to growing different and unusual varieties, I have been sticking with what becomes available as growing plants. I'm not too good with seed starting. No patience!