French cranesbill

French cranesbill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, spreading clump 40–45 cm tall and about 60 cm wide that slowly expands.

Leaves

Hand-shaped, deeply cut into five lobes, fresh green and slightly hairy; semi-evergreen.

Flower

Funnel-shaped flowers of about 3 cm with five petals, from June to September.

Colour

Silvery pink to bright pink with fine, darker veins.

Fruit

A beak-shaped fruit that splits open when ripe and flings out the seeds; it self-seeds a little.

Roots

Short, creeping rhizomes that together form dense mats.

Flowering: June–September · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: March and July

Why grow it?

• Flowers for months, from June into September, especially if you cut it back in July.
• A dense ground cover that gives weeds little chance, even under roses and shrubs.
• Grows in sun and partial shade, on sand, loam and clay.
• The open flowers offer nectar and pollen to bees and bumblebees all summer.
• In mild winters some of the leaves stay green.
• Lasts for years with little care.

French cranesbill: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade. In full sun it needs enough water; in partial shade the leaves stay fresher.
• Ordinary garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Normal to fairly dry soil: once established it tolerates some drought, but not wet feet in winter.
• Plant 40–50 cm apart: 4–5 plants per m² knit together into a closed carpet.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.45 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Roses: It covers the bare base of roses and flowers just as long.
• Lady’s mantle: Lime-green frothy flowers and soft leaves beside the pink, in sun or partial shade.
• Masterwort: Pincushion flowers in pink and white at the same time.
• Foxglove: Tall spikes above the low carpet, in partial shade.
• Catmint: Lavender-blue clouds beside the silvery pink, also loved by bees.

French cranesbill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in a spadeful of compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 40–50 cm between plants; under roses, plant 30–40 cm from the base of the rose.
5. Water in well straight away and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.
6. Spread a thin layer of compost or leaf mould as a mulch around the plants.

Care

Water

In the first year during dry spells. After that, only during long dry periods, especially in full sun.

Feeding

A spadeful of compost in March. After cutting back in July, a little compost helps the new growth along.

Cutting back

If it looks untidy in July, cut it back to 5–10 cm: within a few weeks you get fresh leaves and new flowers.

Seedlings

It self-seeds a little and crosses with other cranesbills. Pull out unwanted seedlings while young.

Dividing

Every 4–5 years, when the clump goes bare in the centre or grows too large.

Tip: Cut it back hard in July if it gets untidy, then water: within a few weeks you have a fresh clump that flowers again into September.

French cranesbill: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: In July, after the first big flush of flowers, when the plant becomes untidy. In March, tidy away the old leaves.

How:

• In July, cut all stems and old leaves back to 5–10 cm above the ground; for a large group, hedge shears will do.
• Then water and give a little compost: after 3–4 weeks fresh leaves appear, followed by new flowers until September.
• If you cut back before the seed is ripe, it also self-seeds less.
• In March, cut away leaves that died or were damaged over winter, just above the new shoots.

Caution: After cutting back, the spot looks bare for a few weeks. In a dry spell, only cut back if you water afterwards.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or in September–October: lift the clump and split it with a spade into pieces with roots and shoots. Replant at once and water.

Cuttings

In April: cut young shoots at the base with a small piece of rhizome and root them in moist cutting compost.

Seedlings

Seedlings come up by themselves; they may differ from the parent if other cranesbills grow nearby. Move them in spring.

French cranesbill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• In mild winters some leaves stay green; in hard winters they die back and the plant regrows in spring.
• Leave the old leaves until March: they protect the heart of the plant.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall in winter and wrap the pot in hessian in severe frost.

Diseases and pests

• Untidy clump: After the first flush the long stems flop and the centre goes bare. Cutting back in July solves it.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in late summer, especially in dry weather. Water, cut back and leave room between plants.
• Slugs: They eat the young shoots in spring; mature plants are rarely bothered. Pick them off in the evening.
• Too many seedlings: It self-seeds and crosses with other cranesbills. Cut back before the seed ripens and weed out seedlings young.

Through the year

• March: Cut away old leaves. Add compost. Plant and divide.
• April: Plant and divide. Take cuttings. Watch for slugs.
• May: Plenty of new leaves; the first buds appear.
• June: Flowering begins. Water in dry spells.
• July: After the first flush, cut back to 5–10 cm. Water and add compost.
• August: Fresh leaves and new buds. Water in dry spells.
• September: Second flush of flowers. Plant and divide.
• October: Plant.
• November: Leave the old leaves as winter protection.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species is named after the German plant collector Philipp Endress, who collected plants in the Pyrenees in the 19th century.
• The name cranesbill refers to the long, beak-shaped fruit. When ripe it curls up and flings the seeds away.
• Together with Geranium versicolor it is a parent of Geranium × oxonianum, a hybrid that arises by itself in gardens where both species grow together.