General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 8b
Plant Height: 12-20 inches (30-50 cm)
Plant Spread: 16-20 inches (40-50 cm)
Flowers: Showy
Other: flowers have five petals; cut plants back almost all the way to the ground after flowering
Flower Color: Pink
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Fall
Uses: Groundcover
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Propagation: Seeds: Needs specific temperature: temperatures indoors must stay under 15°C
Days to germinate: Germination irregular, up to several months
Depth to plant seed: 0.5 cm
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Start indoors
Can handle transplanting
Other info: Self-seeding
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Division
Other: Take semi-ripe cuttings during the late summer when growth has slowed and plant stems have become firmer.
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots

Image
Common names
  • Hardy Geranium
  • Bloody Cranesbill
  • Geranium
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Geranium sanguineum
  • Synonym: Geranium lancastriense
  • Synonym: Geranium sanguineum var. lancastriense

Photo Gallery
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2021-06-04
Perfect little hearts!
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2020-06-09
Shape and color of these make this one of my favorites.  (seedlin
Location: St Louis
Date: 2009-11-08
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2010-08-23

Photo: Pethan
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-11
Autumn color starting early
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2023-07-01
Bright pink flowers on this plant are textured like crepe!
Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-10-19
 1:25 pm. What an energetic spear of a seed capsule. Will it stil
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2020-11-12
Location: Orange County, California
Date: 2022-03-16
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2021-05-28
Fuzzy, hairy leaves and stems
Location: St Louis
Date: 2012-05-13
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-11
Seedling.  Silky.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2021-06-11
Seedling with very notched petals, pretty color, white centers, t
Location: IL
Date: 2017-05-22

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: My Garden
Date: 2013-06-20

Credit florum

Date: 2022-04-22
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-06
Unusual semi-double form
Location: Twisp
Date: May
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-17
Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2009-07-19
Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2014-04-30
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-13
Very pretty!
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2020-11-12
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-07-09
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-11-03
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-11
Seedling, rounded leaves, light reverse side
Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: 2008-07-08
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: IL
Date: 2017-05-15

Date: 2004-05-28
Location: My Garden
Date: 2013-06-23

Credit florum
Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-05-08
 8:21 am. LOOK CLOSELY, by the Lychnis leaves:The spent flower st
Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-05-15
 11:53 am. These tiny flowers pack quite a punch, visually, with
Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-10-19
 1:24 pm. Geranium sanguinium fall foliage. The Lychnis coronaria
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2023-07-05
Hardy geranium, my seedling, pretty, prostrate growth and has int
Location: St Louis
Date: 2021-06-05
Location: My garden, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; zone 3.
Date: 2013-10-20 
Fall colour.
Location: St Louis - MoBOT
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-11
Seedling - first bloom
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-12-02
The fall color and young leaves are beautiful!
Location: Collingdale, Pa
Date: 2018-05-06
This has been in my family for about 75 years. It is a perennial
Uploaded by MaryDurtschi
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-09-12
Ants as pollinators.  See http://pollinators.blogspot.com/2012/10

Photo Courtesy of Lazy S'S Farm Nursery.
  • Uploaded by Joy

Credit florum
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-06-23
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2020-06-08
Seedling
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-07-03
Pretty hearts
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-09-01
Unusual semi-double form, open-pollinated seedling
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-09-01
Unusual semi-double form, side view, open-pollinated seedling
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-07-09
Seedling...translucent, reverse side of blooms are unusual...whit
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-11
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-07-03

photo by ghislain118
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-15
A truer pink than most seedlings, lovely heart-shaped petals.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-15
Wide and overlapping petals
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2020-11-12
Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 4000-06-27
bright leaves Geranium dalmaticum
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-11-03
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-11-03
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-11-03
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-15
Unusual form
Location: Northumberland, UK
Date: 2013-06-23
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-17
This plant has a very open form.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-17
No petals overlap.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-17
The leaves of this plant are like a fan.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July
Typical dissected leaves
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-12-02
Just transplanted these from the lawn and I hope they survive...h
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July 27
Striking seedling backlit by afternoon sun.  Likely not intensely
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-07-03
Seedling
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-07-03
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-09
Location: central Illinois
Date: 6-9-06
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-09-01
Another unusual form bloom
Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: 2009-08-08
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Chicago
Date: 2020-08-22
Bought as Geranium lancastriense
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-10
Lovely rose pink seedling I rescued from my lawn.
Location: Washington Park Botanical Garden - Springfield, Il.
Date: 2016-03-26

Date: June 3, 2012
photo by Franz Xaver
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-06-11
More purple than most of my sanguineums
Location: East border
Date: June
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-11-03
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: September
close up
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July
Closeup of leaves...
Location: Northumberland, UK
Date: 2013-06-23
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July
Leaf shape variation in a single geranium sanguineum
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-07-29
Leaf shape variation in a single Geranium sanguineum, another exa
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July 2018
Showing hairiness of stem, leaf variation in a single geranium sa
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July 2017
Totally hardy and easy care, sun or shade.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-12-02
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2017-12-02
Self seeds but I love finding these cheerful gifts in the lawn.
Location: Southern Maine
Date: 2018-08-15
Newly 3" rosette leaf on a geranium sanguineum
Location: Southern Maine
Date: June
Closeup of leaves...
Location: Southern Maine
Date: July
Larger, less dissected leaf than typical
Comments:
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 9, 2012 5:19 PM concerning plant:
    Valuable source of nectar and pollen for honey bees.
Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Unidentified Geranium is Geranium sanguineum by growitall Nov 19, 2014 10:46 PM 1
This one has been identified on the Plant ID Forum as by plantladylin May 6, 2018 6:23 PM 1

« Add a new plant to the database

» Search the Geraniums Database: by characteristics or by cultivar name

« See the general plant entry for Geraniums (Geranium)

« The Geraniums Database Front Page

« The Plants Database Front Page