Geranium macrorrhizum 'Variegatum'

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Geranium macrorrhizum 'Variegatum'

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Kemper Code: B858

Common Name: wild cranesbill
Zone: 3 to 8
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Geraniaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: None
Height: 1 to 1.5 feet
Spread: 1 to 2 feet
Bloom Time: May - June Bloom Data
Bloom Color: Magenta
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low

Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Appreciates some afternoon shade in the St. Louis area. Tolerates drought due to thick rhizomes. Also tolerates hot and humid summers better than most other species of geranium. Plants of this species do not need to be cut back, sheared or otherwise trimmed after flowering. Removal of flowering stems is all that is usually necessary for maintaining attractive plant appearance. If foliage decline occurs in summer, individual leaves may be removed as they yellow. Plants will easily spread in the garden by rhizomes. Plants may also self seed, but may not come true from seed.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

‘Variegatum’ is a bigroot geranium that typically grows to 12-18” tall and spreads by rhizomes to form a thick, weed-resistant ground cover. As the cultivar name suggests, this plant is noted for its nicely variegated foliage. Deeply lobed and rounded, grayish-green leaves (5-7 lobes) are splashed with creamy white. Leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. Magenta flowers (to 1” wide) bloom in late spring to early summer, with some continued but sporadic rebloom throughout the summer. Specific epithet and bigroot common name are in obvious reference to the thick roots of this plant.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses:

Borders, cottage gardens or wild gardens. An excellent ground cover.