Cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink'

Questions about cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink'

Does cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' need sun or shade?

Cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late May to early September. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is there a native plant like cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink'?

Cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Fringed bleeding heart: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in narrower, flowers early May to late August.
• Pink tickseed: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in narrower, flowers late June to early September.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Will cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds freely, and its wide mounds smother smaller plants. Cut it back hard in midsummer.

What flowers after cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink'?

Cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' is over by early September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
• October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Bottle gentian: from late August to early October, 20 in tall.

What does cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' look like in winter?

Cranesbill 'Wargrave Pink' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.