Erodium × variabile 'Joe Elliott'

RHS Plant Profile

stork's bill 'Joe Elliott'

RHS

Other common names

stork's bill 'Album'

Synonyms

Erodium × variabile 'Album'
Erodium balearicum

Alpine Rockery

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A compact, spreading or cushion-forming, perennial to 10cm tall, with mid-green, oval, slightly-lobed leaves and white flowers, with pink veins, that are produced from late spring throughout the summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: West–facing or East–facing or South–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): H5

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: Erodium can be annuals, perennials or subshrubs, some evergreen, with lobed or pinnately divided leaves and bowl-shaped, 5-petalled flowers in summer
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in rock garden, alpine house or trough in sharply-drained, gritty soil and preferably in full sun. Protect from excessive winter wet that is damaging to the plant. Deadhead regularly

Propagation

Propagate by basal stem softwood cuttings in spring or early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Gravel garden
Rock garden

Pruning

No pruning required or than regular deadheading

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free