Geranium phaeum var. lividum 'Joan Baker'

RHS Plant Profile
dusky cranesbill 'Joan Baker'

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dusky cranesbill 'Joan Baker' RHS

Synonyms

Geranium 'Joan Baker'
Geranium phaeum 'Joan Baker'

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
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A vigorous cultivar, growing to 75cm tall, with lobed and toothed basal leaves. The nodding, mauve-pink flowers, borne in late spring and early summer, are paler at the edges of the frilled, slightly-reflexed petals and have a ring of lilac veins around the eye

Position

Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

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

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or 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)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Geraniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Columnar upright
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
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in sun or part shade 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

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds
  • 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 virus, downy mildews and powdery mildews