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Meadow Crane's-bill

Geranium pratense

Also called Meadow Geranium

Meadow Crane's-bill
Photo: Rob Bendall (Highfields), Attribution

Meadow crane's-bill is a hardy, clump-forming perennial with pale violet-blue flowers, native to Europe and Asia. It is easy to grow in average garden soil in sun or light shade, and it is very cold tolerant.

Family
Geraniaceae (Geranium family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly during dry spells while establishing, then only in prolonged drought.
Soil
Ordinary, well-drained garden soil; tolerates a range of soil types.
Temperature
Very hardy; tolerates at least -20 °C (-4 °F).
How easy
Easy
Native range
Europe to Amur and Himalaya
Climate
temperate

About

Geranium pratense, the meadow crane's-bill or meadow geranium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and Asia. Forming a clump up to 1 m (3.3 ft) broad, it is a herbaceous perennial with hairy stems and lax saucer-shaped blooms of pale violet. It is extremely hardy to at least −20 °C (−4 °F), reflecting its origins in the Altai Mountains of central Asia.

Uses

Geranium pratense is a melliferous herb. Its nectar secretion is 1.3 – 1.5 mg/24 hrs. with a sugar content (sugar concentration) of 57 – 71 %.

Other Geranium plants

Geranium albanum · Geranium aristatum · Geranium asphodeloides · Geranium cinereum · Geranium clarkei · Dalmatian Crane's Bill · Endres's cranesbill · Himalayan Crane's Bill · Iberian geranium · Hardy geranium · Spotted geranium · Madiera cranesbill

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Geranium pratense by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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