Meadow cranesbill

Meadow cranesbill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose, broad clump 60–80 cm high and about 60 cm wide, with branching flower stems.

Leaves

Large and hand-shaped, deeply cut into 7–9 narrow, toothed lobes.

Flower

Saucer-shaped flowers 3–4 cm across with five petals, violet-blue with fine dark veins.

Fruit

A long, beak-shaped fruit that bursts open when ripe and flings out the seeds.

Roots

A short, sturdy rootstock with deep roots; the clump spreads slowly.

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

Why grow it?

• Large blue flowers in midsummer, a colour few perennials do so well.
• A native plant for a wildflower meadow or a natural border.
• Bees and bumblebees flock to it throughout its flowering time.
• Tough, long-lived and very hardy.
• Handsome, deeply cut leaves that often turn red and orange in autumn.

Meadow cranesbill: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Fertile loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Normally moist: it tolerates some drought, but flowers better if the soil does not dry out.
• Plant 50–60 cm apart; in a wildflower meadow, in small groups among the grass.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.8 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -40 °C)

Goes well with

• Oxeye daisy: White flowers beside the blue, in the same wildflower meadow.
• Common knapweed: Purple flower heads that attract butterflies; also native.
• Roses: A classic pairing: the blue beside pink and white roses.
• Yarrow: Flat white or pink flower heads among the saucer-shaped blooms.
• Ornamental grasses: Support and movement; the stems can lean on them.

Meadow cranesbill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in some compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot and firm the soil.
4. Allow 50–60 cm between plants.
5. Water straight away and in dry spells for the first few weeks.
6. In a wildflower meadow, plant into a bare patch in the turf so the grass does not smother the young plant.

Care

Water

Only in dry spells in the first year; rarely needed after that.

Feeding

Not needed on loam or clay; on poorer soil, some compost in spring.

Support

The tall stems often flop open after rain. A low plant support or neighbouring plants to lean on help.

Cutting back

Cut back after flowering: this prevents self-seeding and gives fresh leaves and sometimes a few more flowers.

Division

Every 4–5 years in spring, when the clump gets too big or bare.

Tip: Cut it back almost to the ground at the end of July: you prevent self-seeding, get fresh leaves and often a few more flowers in late summer.

Meadow cranesbill: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July–August.

When: After flowering, in late July or August, and the old stems in March.

How:

• After flowering, cut all the flower stems and old leaves back to 5–10 cm above the ground.
• Within a few weeks fresh new leaves appear, and sometimes a second, smaller flush of flowers.
• If you want it to self-seed, in a meadow for instance, leave a few stems until the seed is ripe.
• In March, cut away dead leaves and stems.

Caution: Do not wait too long: as soon as the fruits are ripe they burst open and fling the seeds well away from the plant.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow outdoors in March–April or in September, where it is to grow or in a pot; the seed germinates better after a cold spell. Cultivars do not come true from seed.

Division

In March–April or in September–October: lift the clump and cut it with a spade into pieces, each with a few buds. Replant at once.

Meadow cranesbill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −40 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −40 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The leaves die back in autumn; the plant overwinters below ground and shoots again in March–April.
• In a wildlife garden, leave a few stems as shelter for insects.

Diseases and pests

• Self-seeding: Seedlings all over the border. Cut back after flowering, or choose the double-flowered cultivar, which sets no seed.
• Flopping: The stems fall open after rain and the plant looks untidy. Support it in time or cut it back after flowering.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in late summer, especially after drought. Cut the plant back; the new leaves are usually healthy.
• Slugs: They eat the young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.

Through the year

• March: Cut down old stems. Plant and divide. Sow outdoors.
• April: Plant. Sow outdoors. Put in plant supports.
• May: Watch for slugs.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Full flower. Cut back at the end of July.
• August: Cut back if not done yet. New leaves grow.
• September: Plant and divide. Sow outdoors.
• October: Plant. Autumn colour in the leaves.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Geranium comes from the Greek ‘geranos’, crane: the long fruit looks like a bird’s beak, hence also the name cranesbill.
• The ripe fruit works like a catapult: its five segments suddenly curl up and fling the seeds away.
• After flowering the flower stalks bend downwards; as the fruit ripens they straighten up again.