Bloody cranesbill

Bloody cranesbill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, wide mound 20–30 cm tall and up to 50 cm across, slowly spreading by rhizomes.

Leaves

Rounded in outline, deeply cut into 5–7 narrow lobes, dark green and finely hairy; red in autumn.

Flower

Single, open, saucer-shaped flowers of 2.5–4 cm on long stalks, from May to August.

Colour

Vivid magenta-purple with darker veins; there are also pale pink and white forms.

Fruit

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

Roots

Sturdy, somewhat woody rhizomes that slowly widen the clump.

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

Why grow it?

• Flowers for four months, from May to August, with vivid blooms above a low mound.
• Tough and drought-tolerant: ideal for sunny, dry spots where many other perennials wither.
• A dense ground cover that gives weeds little chance, even on a bank or between stones.
• A native plant that gives bees and bumblebees plenty of nectar and pollen.
• The leaves turn red in autumn: a second season of interest.
• Needs almost no care: no staking, hardly any pruning and rarely ill.

Bloody cranesbill: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: there it flowers most freely and stays compact. In partial shade it flowers less.
• Sandy or loamy soil, acid to chalky; a poor, free-draining soil is ideal.
• Dry to normally moist. It dislikes wet soil, especially in winter.
• Lovely in a rock garden, on a bank, at the front of a border or between stones.
• Plant 35–40 cm apart: that gives 6–8 plants per m², and the cover closes within one to two years.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Catmint: Lavender-blue clouds beside the magenta, and just as drought-tolerant.
• Lavender: The same sunny, dry spot; the grey leaves soften the bright flower colour.
• Blue fescue: Fine, blue-grey tufts as a contrast with the finely cut leaves.
• Wild marjoram: Native, and keeps flowering in late summer for bees and butterflies.
• Rock rose: A low shrublet for the rock garden that thrives in the same poor soil.

Bloody cranesbill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
2. Loosen the soil and dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball. In heavy soil, mix in coarse sand or gravel; only a little compost is needed.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 35–40 cm between plants and plant them in groups of three or more.
5. Water well straight away and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.
6. A thin mulch of gravel or fine wood chips keeps weeds down until the plants knit together.

Care

Water

Only in the first year during dry spells. After that it copes on its own, even in dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed. In soil that is too rich it becomes floppy and flowers less; a spadeful of compost every few years is enough.

Spent flowers

No need to remove them: it keeps flowering on its own.

Weeding

Keep the soil weed-free in the first year. After that the leaves close up and do the work.

Dividing

Every 4–5 years, when the centre of the clump goes bare. It can also stay undisturbed for many years.

Tip: Give it poor, free-draining soil in full sun and do not feed it: it then stays compact, flowers from May to August and its leaves turn a lovely red in autumn.

Bloody cranesbill: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: Hardly any pruning is needed. Cut away dead leaves in March; a light trim in July is possible if the plant gets untidy.

How:

• In March, cut away the old, dry leaves and dead stems, just above the new shoots.
• If the plant becomes long and untidy after the first flush of flowers, shorten the long stems by a third in July.
• Leave the leaves in autumn: they turn a lovely red and protect the crown in winter.

Caution: Do not cut too low in March: the new shoots are already just above the soil.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or September, lift a clump, split it with a spade or knife into pieces each with roots and shoots, and replant straight away.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in a pot outdoors in autumn; it germinates in spring. Seedlings of cultivars often do not look like the parent.

Cuttings

In April, take young shoots from the base with a small piece of rhizome and root them in moist cutting compost.

Bloody cranesbill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The leaves turn red and mostly die back; in mild winters some leaves remain.
• The main danger is wet soil: in heavy, wet ground the roots can rot.
• In a pot: use free-draining compost and a pot with a drainage hole, and do not leave it standing in a saucer of water.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: The plant collapses and disappears after a wet winter. Plant in a free-draining spot or mix gravel into heavy soil.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in late summer, especially in dry, hot weather. Cut off affected leaves; the plant usually recovers on its own.
• Bare centre: Old clumps go bare in the middle. Divide them and replant the young pieces from the edge.
• Vine weevil: Half-moon notches in the leaf edges; the larvae eat the roots, especially in pots. Use nematodes in spring or late summer.
• Floppy growth: In rich soil or too much shade it grows long and falls open. Do not feed, and choose a sunny spot.

Through the year

• March: Cut away dead leaves. Plant and divide.
• April: Plant and divide. Take cuttings of young shoots.
• May: Flowering begins. Weed until the plants knit together.
• June: Full bloom. Bees and bumblebees visit.
• July: In flower. Lightly trim long, untidy stems if needed.
• August: Last flowers. Water young plants in dry spells.
• September: Plant and divide.
• October: Plant. The leaves turn red.
• November: Autumn colour. Leave the leaves as winter protection.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Cranesbills are named after their long, beak-shaped fruit; the scientific name also comes from the Greek geranos, ‘crane’. When ripe, the parts of the beak suddenly curl up and fling the seeds some distance.
• The ‘geraniums’ in window boxes and on windowsills are really pelargoniums: related to the cranesbills, but not hardy.
• The pale pink var. striatum comes from Walney Island, off the coast of north-west England. That is why it used to be called var. lancastriense, after the county of Lancashire.