Rock crane's-bill

Rock crane's-bill Care

Geranium macrorrhizum

What is the plant

Geranium macrorrhizum, known as bigroot geranium, Bulgarian geranium, and rock crane's-bill, is a species of hardy flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Geranium, family Geraniaceae. It is native to the South east Alps and the Balkans.

Geranium macrorrhizum is a rhizomatous semi-evergreen perennial that typically grows to 12" tall but spreads to 24" wide to form a thick, weed-resistant ground cover. Deeply lobed and rounded, grayish-green leaves (4-8" long) have 5-7 lobes, with each lobe having 3 to 5 notches at the tip. Leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. Leaves acquire attractive red tones in autumn. Long-lasting purple-pink flowers (to 1" wide) with inflated dark red calyces bloom in umbel-like clusters above the foliage in late spring to early summer, often with some sporadic rebloom occurring throughout summer. 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. Specific epithet and bigroot common name are in obvious reference to the thick roots of this plant.

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Lighting

Full Sun

Difficulty

Easy

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Geraniums are a low-maintenance plant, so just water when the soil gets dry. If it's in full sun, water the plant more frequently. The plant can become prone to disease if watered overhead.
Fertilizer
For a flowering perennial, a balanced fertilizer of 10-20-10 can be applied in early spring, just as new foliage begins to show. And if your plant gets a good shearing in mid-summer, re-apply the fertilizer just as new growth begins to emerge. As with most plants that enjoy some shade and moist soil, avoid overfertilizing, as this is a main cause of sprawling, lanky growth.
Sunlight
The plant can be grown in full sun to part shade. It tolerates full sun in cool summer areas.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
This plant can handle almost any soil. It prefers earth that’s rich and loamy with humus, a bit on the moist side, with good drainage – not waterlogged or overly saturated.
Temperature
The plant can be grown in the areas with the lowest winter temperatures of -37.2°C (-35°F). In general, geraniums grow best in daytime temperatures between 65 and 75°F and nighttime temperatures between 50 and 60°F.
Popularity
688 people already have this plant 170 people have added this plant to their wishlists