Geranium sanguineum
Bloody cranesbill
Common names: Bloody geranium
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 10 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −25 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Description
The bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) is a vigorous perennial that blooms from May to September in a bright magenta‑red color, forming a dense, weed‑suppressing carpet. In autumn its finely feathered foliage turns a vivid red. Bees and hoverflies are attracted to the open flowers, and the plant is exceptionally hardy.
Care instructions
Plant in almost any well‑drained soil in a sunny to partially shaded spot, it tolerates drought and poor soil. After the first flowering flush (July, week 28) cut the plant back to ground level; it will regrow and flower again. Otherwise it requires little care and can be easily divided in spring.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, well-drained, lean, lime-loving
Plant bloody cranesbill in free-draining, rather lean, sandy-loamy soil. Ordinary garden soil is quite enough; be sure to avoid waterlogging. It tolerates lime well and thrives particularly vigorously on calcareous soils; humus-rich or freshly fertilised beds, on the other hand, push it into leaf at the expense of flowers.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
In spring (March/April), spread some mature compost around the plant and work it in shallowly, supplemented if needed with a light application of horn shavings. It needs nothing more. Generous feeding promotes leaf growth and reduces flowering.
Overwintering
Bloody cranesbill is a robust, hardy perennial and comes through Central European winters without trouble outdoors, without protection. It dies back in autumn and shoots again from the rootstock in spring. Leave the old foliage standing over winter and cut it back close to the ground only in early spring, when the new shoots appear.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
- Cuttings
Geranium sanguineum is most easily propagated by division: lift the perennial in early spring (March/April) with a digging fork and split the rootstock into several pieces with two digging forks levered against each other or with a sharp spade. Each piece needs at least one strong shoot base and enough roots. Replant the pieces straight away in prepared, humus-rich soil and water them in well for several weeks so they root in quickly. Repeat the division every three to four years to keep the perennial vigorous.
For stem cuttings, in spring cut young, not yet woody shoots about five to eight centimetres long with a sharp knife, remove the lowest leaves and insert them in moist seed compost. A bright, warm position (out of direct midday sun) and a cover with high humidity improve the rooting rate; first roots appear after a few weeks. This method is somewhat more demanding and less reliable than division.
Sowing works directly after the seed ripens in summer, or the following spring (March/April) in seed trays; the seeds are covered only thinly with compost and kept evenly moist. Geranium sanguineum needs a cold stimulus (stratification), which the seed gets over winter outdoors or through several weeks of cool storage. Germination then takes some patience. In the garden, the species often seeds itself. Note: with cultivars, seedlings do not always match the parent plant genetically; to preserve a cultivar, choose division or cuttings instead.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
For your garden
Grow Bloody cranesbill yourself
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