Long Blooming - Erodium Manescavii

 Do you grow this plant in your garden?  Our Master Gardener group had a sharing table one night.  We had to bring a favourite plant to share.  We then took turns picking a plant for our garden.  I chose this one grown by a gal that likes to try unusual and different plants.  The Erodium is not a common plant that you find in many gardens and is difficult to find in many nurseries.  I do not know why.  It is maintanence free and bug and pest free. In my garden it starts blooming in spring and stops when the frost comes along in the late fall. It overwinters just fine without any particular fussing.   I have never know it to not have flowers blooming on it.  The Erodium or Heronsbill is a relative to the geranium.  The flowers are a lovely pinky lilac much like a geranium but the leaves are different.  They are quite ferny and fuzzy.  It grows in full sun or part shade in ordinary soil.   In my sandy soil it does just fine.  It does not sulk if it is without water.   I never water it in my Zone 4B garden.

I have tried unsuccessfully to divide it many times but somehow I must have been lucky as I do have a new plant that I only noticed this year.  You can purchase seeds but I have not tried that.  When I go to the plant nurseries I am always on the hunt for another one.

If you want to try something different in the front of your border look for this little winner.  Happy Gardening.   Valerie