Gransbills are a versatile perennial for any garden. Find out everything you need to know about planting cranesbill and the subsequent care here.
Granesbills (Geranium) are adaptable and hardy perennial plants that are suitable for any garden and even for the balcony. We provide helpful tips on site selection, planting and care of Cranesbill.
Planting Cranesbill
When planting cranesbills, it is important to pay attention to the optimal location, the correct planting distance and soil cultivation. We have compiled the most important aspects.
The right place for Cranesbill
Depending on the species, cranesbills have completely different demands on the location. In general, a good spot for cranesbills is part shade to full sun on well drained, well drained, humus rich soil. Good drainage is necessary for most species for planting cranesbills in tubs and on very heavy soil, as waterlogging is not tolerated. Incorporating compost can improve both overly sandy and clayey, compacted soils. A high organic matter content is crucial. Because the addition increases both the water storage capacity and the soil aeration. If there is no mature compost available, we recommend using a compost-rich, high-quality potting soil such as our Plantura organic potting soil. It is specially designed for flowering plants and is therefore ideal for planting cranesbills - whether in a pot or in a bed.
Combine Cranesbill: Low, groundcovering cranesbills are ideal with Gypsophila (Gypsophila), Spring Pink (Dianthus plumarius ) and low grasses, but also combine with Verbena (Verbena). Tall perennials such as the Geranium ibericum (Geranium ibericum x platetypetalum) thrive particularly well in front of trees or in combination with white-flowered roses (Rosa ), lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and prairie perennials such as rudbeckia(Rudbeckia) and Mock Coneflower (Echinacea).
Instructions for sowing and planting
Cranesbills are available in nurseries or garden centers as container plants in various sizes. A few cranesbill species and cultivars such as blood cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) are also available as seeds. Since most cranesbills self-sow generously, breeding cranesbills by seed is rarely necessary. Cranesbill seeds are cold germs. They can only germinate after a cold period of several weeks. After cold treatment in the refrigerator or outdoors, the seeds are sown about 1 cm deep in nutrient-poor growing substrate on the window sill between January and March. We recommend our Plantura organic herb and seed soil for this. The whole thing is kept moist and germinated at 15 to 20 °C. The young plants can be planted out in the spring after they have hardened. The ideal time to plant cranesbills is in spring or late autumn, between October and the first frost. Young and sensitive plants should better be planted in the ground in early spring from March.
Gransbills can be planted in small groups of 10 to 15 plants, which later form a dense population. 15 to 25 plants per square meter are expected for ground-covering, short-growing varieties, and about 4 to 8 plants per square meter for larger individual perennials. The planting distance from cranesbill to other perennials is 30 to 50 cm. If you want to plant cranesbills, you should first prepare the soil well. Weeds on the future planting area should be removed and the soil loosened up over a large area and about spade-deep. Now dig a planting hole for each cranesbill, which is about 1.5 times the size of the root ball. Carefully lift the perennial out of the pot, loosen the root ball with your fingers and place the cranesbill in the ground. The perennials should sit at the same level of soil as they did in the container. Now fill the planting hole with substrate, press lightly all around and then water extensively. If cranesbills are placed in buckets or plant troughs, there should be a drainage layer in addition to good water drainage to avoid waterlogging. A 5 to 10 cmhigh layer of expanded clay, gravel, larger rocks or sand allows excess water to drain away quickly after watering or rain.
Tip: Transplanting cranesbills may be necessary with self-seeding varieties. First prepare the planting holes for the young perennials before you carefully lift them out of the ground with a hand shovel and with as complete a root system as possible. Now move the young cranesbills to the new location.
Summary: sowing and planting cranesbills
- Sowing: Sow 1 cm deep in potting soil between January and March
- Time: Plant out in spring or late autumn
- Planting distance: 15-25 plants per m2 for short varieties; 4-8 plants per m2 for larger individual perennials; 30-50 cm distance to other perennials
- Cranesbill in a pot: fill in a drainage layer made of expanded clay, gravel, stones or sand
Caring for Cranesbill
So that the adaptable and vigorous perennials quickly feel at home in the garden, you will find the most important tips for caring for cranesbills below.
Watering and fertilizing
In the first few weeks after planting and in the pot, you should water your cranesbills regularly. Once the cranesbill has established itself, it only needs watering during the hot and dry summer months.
Granesbills are frugal perennials and wild plants that also thrive on poor soil. Fertilization is only necessary once a year and makes sense in the spring when the leaves sprout. We recommend a predominantly organic long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura organic flower fertilizer. Thanks to its special composition, it promotes flowering and strong green foliage. The granules are spread around the perennials in spring and worked into the surface. Over the course of three months, soil organisms release the nutrients contained and feed them slowly and gently to the plant roots.
Cut Cranesbill
Autumn is the right time to prune the cranesbill, with the exception of the evergreen species and varieties. The foliage begins to wither and die off completely in late fall. For aesthetic reasons and to avoid fungal infections, it is advisable to cut off the dead leaves. Alternatively, leave the foliage as winter protection until early spring and cut back just before new shoots start.
Should you prune cranesbill after flowering? Some types and varieties of cranesbill can develop a second flower a few weeks later if they are cut back after flowering. They are called reblooming perennials. In the case of high-growing cranesbills, such as the magnificent cranesbill, pruning back after flowering can increase stability. Uncontrolled seeding can also be prevented by cutting directly after flowering. The plants should be cut back completely to a hand's breadth.
Common pests and diseases
Gransbill is rarely affected by diseases. In wet years and with more sensitive varieties, however, powdery mildew occurs more frequently. However, leaf-eating pests can cause greater damage to cranesbills. These include leaf bugs (Heteroptera), the vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) and the larvae of the cranesbill sawfly (Protoemphytus carpini).
Is cranesbill hardy?
Most cranesbills are hardy. Depending on the species, however, the frost hardness differs significantly. For example, while the meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense) can withstand temperatures down to -40 °C, some delicate hybrid varieties only survive temperatures below -12 °C at most. Therefore, pay attention to the requirements of your plant and cover sensitive varieties with a protective layer of leaves if necessary. Stork's beak in the bucket should be given insulating protection with fleece, jute or needle branches around the pot so that the root ball does not freeze through. Varieties that are sensitive to cold can be overwintered frost-free in the cellar or shed in harsh winters. In the winter time, watering should be extremely reduced and no fertilizing until new shoots appear.
Adaptable, ground-covering perennials for the shade or semi-shade are next to cranesbill and the dainty flowering elfin flowers (Epimedium). We present the most beautiful species and varieties and give tips on planting and care.