{"product_id":"black-n-white-meadow-cranesbill-geranium-pratense-black-n-white","title":"Black n White Meadow Cranesbill - Geranium pratense 'Black n White'","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlack n White Meadow Cranesbill (\u003cem\u003eGeranium pratense\u003c\/em\u003e '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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy you'll love it\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBronze-purple foliage.\u003c\/strong\u003e The dark leaves give the plant interest long before the flowers open, and they set off the pale blooms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVeined white and lilac flowers.\u003c\/strong\u003e Open flowers are white shading to palest lilac, delicately traced with darker lines.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVery cold hardy.\u003c\/strong\u003e It is frost hardy to a degree few garden perennials match, so it suits the coldest winters in Australia.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFits almost anywhere.\u003c\/strong\u003e Any soil, any aspect, any position except waterlogged ground, which makes it easy to place.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCottage charm.\u003c\/strong\u003e The old-fashioned look balances vintage style with modern planting, in beds, baskets or under trees.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhere it works best\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCottage gardens and borders.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant 40cm apart in drifts. The mounds knit together into a loose carpet that suits roses and other cottage plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnder trees.\u003c\/strong\u003e Use it as underplanting beneath deciduous trees or as a groundcover in part shade, again at 40cm apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaskets and containers.\u003c\/strong\u003e The loose mounding habit softens the edge of a pot or hanging basket, and the dark foliage looks good beside silver plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eGrowing Black n White Meadow Cranesbill in Australia\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePosition and climate.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil.\u003c\/strong\u003e Any soil, in any aspect, so long as it does not become waterlogged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater and feed.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePruning.\u003c\/strong\u003e A light trim in summer prolongs flowering into autumn. In cold regions, clear the dead top growth before spring shoots appear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat to expect when it arrives\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvailability 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePlant care guides and related reading\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/groundcover\"\u003eGroundcover plants\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/frost-hardy-plants\"\u003eFrost hardy plants\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/blog\/perennial-plants-for-a-cottage-garden\"\u003ePerennial plants for a cottage garden\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/blog\/the-best-ground-cover-plants-for-shade\"\u003eGround cover plants for shade\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCommon questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIs this the same as the geraniums in baskets?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWill it die back in winter?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I grow it in a warm, humid climate?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Nursery Near Me","offers":[{"title":"Tube (Backorder)","offer_id":67790326628671,"sku":"GER-PRA-BLACKN-tube","price":26.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0691\/2917\/5359\/files\/black-n-white-meadow-cranesbill-geranium-pratense-black-n-white.jpg?v=1792206338","url":"https:\/\/nurserynearme.com.au\/products\/black-n-white-meadow-cranesbill-geranium-pratense-black-n-white","provider":"Nursery Near Me","version":"1.0","type":"link"}