Geranium sinense

RHS Plant Profile
Chinese cranesbill

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Chinese cranesbill RHS
Chinese cranesbill RHS

Synonyms

Geranium delavayi misapplied
Geranium platypetalum Franch.

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
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A low, spreading perennial, to 60cm tall, with deeply-veined leaves, to 10cm or more across, glossy, bright green above, paler below. Small, nodding flowers are held in loose clusters, the rounded, sharply-reflexed, petals are dark maroon-black, rose-pink at the base and are borne in mid to late summer

Position

Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full shade Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Geraniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Trailing
Genus
Geranium can be annuals, biennials and perennials, herbaceous or evergreen, with rounded, usually palmately lobed or divided leaves, and lax inflorescences of rounded, 5-petalled flowers
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Yunnan, Sichuan provinces, China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grows best in part or full shade in moderately fertile, well-drained soil, but most soils (unless waterlogged) are tolerated. Especially good in damp shade

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring or basal cuttings in early or mid-spring and root with bottom heat. Propagate by seed in containers outdoors as soon as ripe or in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Coastal
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Ground cover
  • Banks and slopes
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Cut flowered stems and old leaves to the base to encourage new foliage and flowers

Pests

May be damaged by capsid bug, vine weevil larvae, sawfly larvae, slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to a rust, downy mildews, leafy gall, a virus and powdery mildews