Homegrown Habitat, April 2025: Wild Geranium
Wild geranium’s five-petaled flowers, ranging from pale pink to lilac, appear for five to seven weeks in spring. Photo by H. Zell – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
In the right light, the color of a wild geranium flower almost vibrates. They are starting to bloom now. In this month’s Homegrown Habitat, Sarah Middeleer explains why wild geranium is a great addition to your garden or yard.
At this time of year copious flowers invite us outside, proclaiming a joyful end to the late-winter blues. Wild geranium is a valuable member of this spring bloomers club; it is easy to grow in the garden, a pleasure to behold, and offers many benefits to birds and pollinators.
The many other names for Geranium maculatum include spotted geranium and spotted cranesbill. The Latin species name comes from the Greek word “geranos,” meaning crane – a reference to its distinctive fruit, which resembles the crane’s long beak.
This beguiling woodland native grows in a clumping form to a height of 1.5 feet to two feet, and has a spread of one foot to 1.5 feet. Its five-petaled flowers, ranging from pale pink to lilac, appear for five to seven weeks in April and May. When it is happy, wild geranium will spread (although not aggressively) — which makes it an ideal native ground cover.
I love knowing which native plants make good ground covers, having learned that bark mulches inhibit the ability of ground nesting bees from making their burrows. In fact, ecological gardening experts urge gardeners to move away from bark mulch altogether, in favor of the “living” or “green” mulch that native ground covers can provide.
Wild geranium leaves are lobed and toothed, bringing textural variety into the garden. In full sun the foliage may yellow in the heat of summer, but a light shearing can then revitalize the plant. In the fall the leaves turn orange to red. Throughout the season, wild geranium foliage has a pungent scent when touched or crushed.
This easygoing plant is adaptable to sun or part shade and average to moist soils. It prefers rich, loamy, acidic soil. Once established it is drought tolerant and will also take dry shade.
Bees (including one specialist bee), flies, butterflies, and beetles drink wild geranium nectar, and many birds — including Mourning Doves and sparrows — eat the seeds. Several species of caterpillars, many of which end up as food for nestlings, use it as a host plant. But wild geranium is resistant to deer and rabbit browsing.
The plants have a highly entertaining method of seed dispersal. Photo by Doug McGrady from Warwick
Wild geranium would be terrific in a children’s garden, because the plants have a highly entertaining method of seed dispersal. Seeds develop at the base of narrow, beaked spikes. When dry, the seeds are suddenly ejected from the spikes in a swing-arm motion. Once the seeds have been catapulted off the plant, the spikes curl up to resemble tiny chandeliers.
Other good garden locations include perennial beds and borders (wild geranium makes a nice edging plant), as well as rock and shade gardens. Consider planting it along a path, where brushing against its aromatic leaves will scent the air. Good herbaceous companion plants for wild geranium include columbine, lady fern, mayflower, meadow rue, great lobelia, Virginia bluebells, and white snakeroot. Shrub and smaller tree companions include serviceberry, pagoda dogwood, mountain laurel, pinxterbloom, Carolina rose, summersweet clethra, and winterberry.
Native Americans have used wild geranium as a tea to treat diarrhea, mouth ulcers, and sore throats. The roots have been used on wounds to help stop bleeding. The leaves’ essential oils have been used as an astringent and as an antibacterial for cuts and wounds.
Do you grow wild geranium? Let us know about your experience – reader photos are welcomed! Drop us a line at homegrown@ctaudubon.org
Resources
Books
Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe, Native Plants for New England Gardens, Globe Pequot, 2018
Anna Fialkoff and Heather McCargo, Native Ground Covers for Northeast Landscapes, Wild Seed Project, 2022
Edith A. Roberts and Elsa Rehmann, American Plants for American Gardens, The University of Georgia Press, 1996
Laura Erickson, 100 Plants to Feed the Birds Turn Your Home into a Healthy Bird Habitat, Storey Publishing, 2022
Websites
Geranium, Wild, Geranium maculatum | Leaves for Wildlife
Geranium maculatum – Plant Finder
Geranium maculatum (Spotted Cranesbill)
https://pollinatorgarden.asmsa.org/garden-catalog/geranium-maculatum-cranesbill-geranium
https://pollinatorgarden.asmsa.org/garden-catalog/geranium-maculatum-cranesbill-geranium
