Geranium phaeum
Black widow, Mourning widow, Dusky cranesbill
- Height × spread
- 0.6m × 0.5m
- Position
- All conditions
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This plant of subtle beauty makes a handsome foliage mound of big, lobed, jagged, green leaves, sometimes plum tinted. From the mound arise slender stalks bearing tiny flowers sometimes as early as April. These are a rich mauve-purple and tend to hang their heads slightly as if bearing the weight of the protruding creamy yellow stamens.
- Flower colour
- Purple, Violet
- Foliage colour
- Green, Purple
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.6m
- Spread
- 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Prairie garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- All conditions
- Soil type
- All types
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Damp and wet soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover, Bee attraction
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.
Spring-Autumn · Planting
Remove dead leaves
When leaves die they can carefully be detached or cut off at their base to improve the overall appearance of the plant. Be careful not to damage the main stems during this process.
Planting & general
Planting
Deadhead blooms during flowering season
Remove flowers as they turn brown and fade. Snip the stem just below the bloom. This will keep the plant tidy and encourage more flowers.
The removal of spent flowers encourages the plant to produce fresh ones, rather than spend its energy on the development of seeds.