Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill)

Putting on a great show, Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill) is an eye-catching spreading rhizomatous perennial with large, bright, magenta-pink cup-shaped flowers with dark veining, up to 1.5 in. wide (4 cm). Blooming sporadically from late spring to late summer, the elegant blooms rise atop a decorative mound of palmately lobed leaves divided into narrow lobes that turn blood-red in fall and add attractive fall color to the landscape. This hardy Geranium is reliable, easy to grow, and provides long-lasting color for any garden.

• Clump-forming, this deciduous perennial forms a bushy mound and reaches 12-18 in. in height (30-45 cm) and 18-24 in. in spread (45-60 cm)
• Winner of the GreatPlants award, which is a joint effort between the Nebraska Nursery, Landscape Association and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
• Performs best in full sun or part shade and in well-drained soils. This plant is not fussy about climate conditions (including hot, humid weather) and soils, provided they are well-drained. It is clay soil and drought tolerant.
• Deer and rabbit resistant, this Geranium is attractive to butterflies!
• A perfect border plant, it is a spectacular addition to beds, borders, ground cover, cottage gardens, rock gardens, and underplanting roses and shrubs. One of the best choices for massed plantings.
• Bloody Cranesbill requires very little maintenance and is generally not subject to serious pest or disease issues. May be occasionally affected by vine weevil, capsid bug, sawflies, and powdery mildew
• Remove flowered stems and old leaves to encourage the production of fresh leaves and flowers.
• Propagate by seed, basal cuttings or division. Easily divided in spring or fall.
• Native to Europe and Turkey
• Geranium sanguineum is the prolific parent of many popular hybrids, including:
  Geranium sanguineum ‘Album’ – with pure white flowers, dark green leaves divided into narrow lobes. Open in habit. 2 ft. tall (60 cm). AGM award
  Geranium ‘Elke’ – with soft, lilac-pink flowers, each petal with a distinctive white edge, and borne during a long flowering season. A bushy, spreading plant. 9 in. tall (20 cm)
  Geranium sanguineum ‘New Hampshire Purple’ – with violet flowers and a white eye. Forms elegant mounds of deeply lobed leaves that turn crimson in the fall. 18 in. tall (45 cm)
  Geranium sanguineum var. striatum – with pale lilac-pink flowers and deeper pink veining atop a compact mat of narrow-lobed dark green leaves. 6 in. tall (15cm in height). AGM award