Meadow cranesbill

Questions about meadow cranesbill

Does meadow cranesbill need sun or shade?

Meadow cranesbill 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 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 flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

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 be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many meadow cranesbill 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 three in one group.

Is there a native plant like meadow cranesbill?

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

• Pale purple coneflower: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in taller, 8 in narrower.
• Ohio spiderwort: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in narrower, flowers late May to mid July.
• Purple milkweed: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in taller, 6 in narrower.

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

Will meadow cranesbill spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds freely. Remove the spent flowers to limit seedlings.

What flowers after meadow cranesbill?

Meadow cranesbill is over by mid 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.
• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.

What does meadow cranesbill look like in winter?

Meadow cranesbill 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.