About this cultivar: Geranium endressii is a pink flowering species of hardy herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennial Geranium. It has a mounding to sprawling habit, therefore is useful as ground cover in light shade. It gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993. Commonly called French crane's-bill, or Endres cranesbill after the French botanist Auguste R. Endrés (1838-1874), it is actually native to the Western Pyrenees in Spain. Auguste mustn’t have cared for it much himself as In 1866 he became a citizen of the United States .Personally I much prefer Wargrave Pink for the same effect (more flowers, and for longer…) but this will self-seed more... Position: Full sun, partial shade Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert Flowers: May, June, July Other features: Grows well in Ballyrobert Hardiness: H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert! Habit: Clump forming, bushy, trailing Foliage: Evergreen Height: 30- 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft) Spread: 30- 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft) Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial Colour: Green, pink Goes well with: - About this genus: Geranium is a genus of 422 species of flowering plants found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and the five-petaled-flowers can be white, pink, purple or blue, often with distinctive veining. The genus name is derived from the Greek géranos meaning ‘crane’. The common name is‘cranesbill’. Why the crane reference? Well, some species in the Geranium genus have a distinctive mechanism for seed dispersal. This consists of a column which springs open when ripe and casts the seeds some distance. The shape of the unsprung column looks like the bill of a crane- therefore cranesbill! Geranium is often confused with its close cousin Pelargonium (florist geranium). The two plants were originally lumped into the one genus (genus Geranium), but in the 1780s, the genus Pelargonium was split from Geranium. However, by that time the common name "geranium" for the florists plants was part of the public vernacular and it stuck. Geraniums are not as flashy as many perennials, but are getting more and more popualr again as newer cultivars become more floriferous and for longer. The attractive foliage of Geraniums, combined with their blendable, butterfly-attracting, spring and summer flowers, make geraniums staples in the perennial garden. The genus geranium has long been recognized as one of the most durable and easy to grow perennials for the garden. They love sun or part shade and will grow in any soil that isn't waterlogged. How to use them? Oh, the list is endless and often depends on the specific geranium, its height, habit and colour - they are not just "ground cover" plants!
