Geranium maculatum – Wild Geranium

Our native geranium has never seen as much garden use as the plethora of geranium species, hybrids and cultivars from other parts of the world. It’s a bit hard to understand because Wild Geranium is every bit as showy as those plants, with nice-sized mauvey-pink flowers and a prolific bloom. It is a bit of a taller plant – not quite as tidy as the low mounders that are ubiquitous in flower borders. And while it doesn’t bloom for quite as long as some of  those plants, it still has a few week bloom period at the height of Spring. Also known as Cranesbill, the name referring to the interesting structure of the seed capsule, designed to fling seeds on their way a distance from the parent.