Meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter'

Questions about meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter'

Does meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' need sun or shade?

Meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).

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

What zones does meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' 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 meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late May to early July. 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 meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' be planted?

10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' plants do I need?

At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 55 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 eight in two groups.

Is there a native plant like meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter'?

Meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Iceland poppy: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers early May to late June.
• Prairie smoke: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, pink, not blue.
• Hairy beardtongue: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in taller, lavender, not blue.

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

What flowers after meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter'?

Meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
• Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.

What does meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' look like in winter?

Meadow cranesbill 'Midnight Reiter' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.