Black n White Meadow Cranesbill

Black n White Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense 'Black n White') is a true hardy geranium, the cottage-garden kind rather than the pelargonium sold in baskets. It forms a loose mound about 40cm tall and wide of bronze-purple foliage, topped in spring and summer with white to pale lilac flowers traced with fine dark veins. It grows in almost any soil and takes serious cold.

Why you'll love it

• Bronze-purple foliage. The dark leaves give the plant interest long before the flowers open, and they set off the pale blooms.
• Veined white and lilac flowers. Open flowers are white shading to palest lilac, delicately traced with darker lines.
• Very cold hardy. It is frost hardy to a degree few garden perennials match, so it suits the coldest winters in Australia.
• Fits almost anywhere. Any soil, any aspect, any position except waterlogged ground, which makes it easy to place.
• Cottage charm. The old-fashioned look balances vintage style with modern planting, in beds, baskets or under trees.

Where it works best

Cottage gardens and borders. Plant 40cm apart in drifts. The mounds knit together into a loose carpet that suits roses and other cottage plants.

Under trees. Use it as underplanting beneath deciduous trees or as a groundcover in part shade, again at 40cm apart.

Baskets and containers. The loose mounding habit softens the edge of a pot or hanging basket, and the dark foliage looks good beside silver plants.

Growing Black n White Meadow Cranesbill in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade; the sunnier the spot, the more water it needs. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and subtropical gardens too, though it may flag a little in very humid tropical conditions. In colder climates the plant is herbaceous: it dies back in winter and re-emerges in spring.

Soil. Any soil, in any aspect, so long as it does not become waterlogged.

Water and feed. Mulch after planting to retain moisture and keep the soil cool while young plants establish. A native slow release fertiliser in spring keeps the plant healthy.

Pruning. A light trim in summer prolongs flowering into autumn. In cold regions, clear the dead top growth before spring shoots appear.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Black n White Meadow Cranesbill as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. It arrives as a small plant, so expect a modest tuft at first that builds into a mound over the growing season. Plant it through mulch and water it in well. The photo on this page shows the flowers to illustrate their colour, and the leaves on your plant will be dark.

Availability of tube stock depends on our grower. When the tube shows as sold out, use the notify button on the page and we will email you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Groundcover plants
• Frost hardy plants
• Perennial plants for a cottage garden
• Ground cover plants for shade

Common questions

Is this the same as the geraniums in baskets?

No. Those are pelargoniums. This is a true cranesbill: a hardy herbaceous perennial that takes frost, comes back each spring and is a different genus altogether.

Will it die back in winter?

In colder climates, yes. It is herbaceous, so the top growth dies down in winter and fresh shoots appear in spring. In mild climates it may stay leafy for longer.

Can I grow it in a warm, humid climate?

You can try it, but it may flag a little in very tropical, humid conditions. Choose a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, and keep it watered and mulched.