Geranium dalmaticum - Dalmatian Cranesbill

The Perennial Geranium dalmaticum, also known as the Dalmatian Geranium, is a small rhizomatous perennial plant that forms a low carpet and spreads slowly. The plant blooms for several weeks in summer, with small campanulate flowers in a soft pink shade with a hint of mauve. Its foliage is also interesting, composed of small, fragrant, glossy, dark green leaves that turn beautiful colors in autumn. Not demanding in terms of exposure, this botanical species adapts to any well-drained soil. It can be planted in a not too arid rockery, at the edge of a flower bed, or in the edge of a woodland where it will form a durable and charming ground cover.

The Geranium dalmaticum (synonym Geranium macrorrhizum var. dalmaticum) belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a botanical species native to the Balkan coasts, Montenegro, and Albania. This plant has a low and spreading growth habit, reaching a height of 15 cm (6in) and spreading at least 40 cm (16in). The flowering period takes place from June to August. The flowers, measuring 2.5 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, appear in "umbels" or clusters. They are light pinkish mauve in color, with stamens bearing red anthers and carried on long stalks well above the foliage. The creeping stems of this geranium bear small, often evergreen leaves in winter, measuring 4 cm (2in) in diameter, aromatic, round, and lobed. They are slightly glossy and green in color. The foliage takes on stunning red and orange hues in cold weather.

The Dalmatian perennial geranium is primarily a rockery plant. It quickly fills cracks in paving, old walls, and the tops of low walls, and fills gaps in and at the edge of a rockery. It is also suitable for ornamental borders or paths in well-drained soil. It can be paired with dwarf phlox such as Phlox subulata 'Emerald Cushion Blue', Montpellier soapwort Saponaria ocymoides, wall bellflower Campanula poscharskyana 'Stella', and snow-in-summer Cerastium tomentosum Yo Yo, always in a substrate that does not retain excess water.