Common Name: cranesbill
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Geraniaceae
Native Range: Siberia, Mongolia, eastern Russia, northern China
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Dusky violet with white eyes
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Cut back plants after flowering to both shape and encourage additional bloom.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Geranium wlassovianum is a bushy, clump-forming perennial which typically grows to 24" tall with a 12-18" spread. Features 1" diameter, 5-petaled, dusky violet flowers with deep violet veining on the petals from late spring to early summer. Each flower has a small white eye. Lobed foliage emerges olive green with chocolate blotches, matures to dusky green and turns red in autumn. Fall color can be outstanding. This species is native to damp grasslands and scrub in eastern Asia.
Genus name comes from the Greek word geranos meaning crane in reference to the fruit which purportedly resembles the head and beak of a crane.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems.