Geranium sanguineum
bloody cranesbill
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost
- Rate of growth: average to fast growing
- Flowering period: May to June
- Hardiness: fully hardy
In May through to June, this geranium is smothered with cheerful, cup-shaped magenta flowers with white centres and distinctive veins. Thriving in full sun or partial shade, it forms low hummocks of deeply cut, shiny, dark green leaves, ideal for suppressing weeds at the front of the border. It occurs naturally on acid soils, but will flourish in most fertile, well drained soils. - Garden care: In midsummer rejuvenate plants that are beginning to look jaded, by removing old flowered stems and leaves. Lift and divide large colonies in spring.
Sisyrinchium striatum
sisyrinchium
Cup shaped pale yellow flowers
Alchemilla mollis
lady's mantle
Scalloped leaves and frothy flowers
Luzula nivea
snowy woodrush
Small evergreen grass with sprays of pretty white flowers
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One bright-pink flower per stem over a hummock of fine foliage - starting with a flourish in early summer and ending with a stray bloom or two in late autumn
Val Bourne - Garden Writer