Geranium incanum
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −6.7 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in any moderately fertile retentive soil in a sunny position. Plants are not very hardy in Britain. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. The plant often adopts a climbing habit, sprawling through scrub.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Edible uses
The leaves are a tea substitute.
Habitat
Scrub, dunes and forest clearings.
Native range
S. Africa.
Same genus
- Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum)
- Bicknell's cranesbill (Geranium bicknellii)
- Pineywoods geranium (Geranium caespitosum)
- California cranesbill (Geranium californicum)
- Carolina crane's-bill (Geranium carolinianum)
- Longstalk cranesbill (Geranium columbinum)
- Cutleaf geranium (Geranium dissectum)
- Fanleaf geranium (Geranium divaricatum)