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Features
Forms a mat of grey/green, hairy, lobed leaves which will persist most of the year, although they may die back in harsh winters. In summer bright magenta flowers are borne on taller stems.
What to use it for
A typical cottage garden plant, geraniums make good ground cover or underplanting, and are attractive at the front of beds and borders. Their southern origins make them a good choice for Mediterranean style gardens. The flowers would provide a good source of nectar for bees and butterflies in a wildlife garden. This plant would also be a good choice for a rock/alpine garden.
How to look after it
Divide every 3 to 4 years to maintain the plant’s vigour.
How to prune it
Regularly prune out spent flower stems and tatty, old leaves. This will encourage the plant to grow fresh foliage and flowers.
How to propagate it
Division is the simplest way to propagate this plant and it may be carried out in late summer, autumn or early spring. Single bud divisions are possible. Resulting plants should flower the same year.
Seeds can be sown at 15°C when ripe or in early spring, they should germinate within 14 days and flower the following year. Seeds should be collected when the seedhead is brown (which indicates the seeds are ripe) but before it ‘bursts’ open. Cultivars may not grow from seed and, if they do, they are unlikely to be true to type.
Basal stem cuttings can be taken in spring or late summer (when growth has ceased). Trailing plants’ stems can be cut into sections with one node per section, to increase the number of new plants from each cutting. Keep the cuttings at 15°C until they have rooted, they should flower the following year.
Geraniums also hybridise easily.
Common problems
Susceptible to downy mildews and geranium rust. Vine weevils, capsid bugs and sawflies may be a problem.
Other useful information
The name ‘geranium’ is often, incorrectly, used to refer to pelargonium plants. The name originates from the Latin for ‘little crane’, similar to the common name ‘Cranesbill’. The seed pod of the plant is said to resemble the bill of a crane.
This interspecific hybrid geranium has been given the Award of Garden Merit by the RHS. It was bred by the Prichard nursery based in Riverslea, Hampshire, UK; it derives its name from the nursery’s location and its owners.
