Geranium sanguineum Frivolius™ Lilac - Bloody cranesbill

Geranium sanguineum ‘MVNG1901’ Frivolius™ Lilac is a hardy geranium selected for its early and exceptionally long flowering, its large lilac-pink corollas and its naturally spreading habit. This vigorous, undemanding and low-maintenance small groundcover plant is perfect for dry borders, dry rockeries and containers.

The Frivolius Lilac geranium belongs to the Geraniaceae botanical family and descends from the species Geranium sanguineum, the bloody cranesbill. It is a herbaceous perennial with a thick rhizome, native to a vast area from Europe to the Caucasus, Turkey and Western Siberia; it grows there in dry meadows, limestone rockeries, open woodland edges, on slopes and sometimes in coastal dunes.
The cultivar ‘MVNG1901’ is a recent Dutch selection by breeder Marco Van Noort (Warmond), originating from a sowing of Geranium sanguineum ‘Canon Miles’ in the early 2020s. Marketed under the name Frivolius™ Lilac, it is part of the Frivolius™ series (with Frivolius™ Pink ‘MVNG1811’ and Frivolius™ Purple ‘MVNG1905’), characterised by compact, very floriferous and repeat-flowering plants. This variety was distinguished with a silver medal at PLANTARIUM GROEN-Direkt in 2025.
The plant forms a flattened, wide and well-branched clump, with a naturally dense and spreading habit. A mature clump reaches 20 to 25 cm in height and 35 to 40 cm in width in open ground. Its growth is moderately vigorous, forming a tight carpet without being invasive. The leaves, borne on long petioles, are rounded but deeply palmate into 5 lobes, themselves divided into fine segments; the foliage is very finely cut, medium to dark green, sometimes tinged with red in autumn. The aerial growth is normally deciduous, but can be semi-evergreen in mild climates. The flowers are solitary, 3.5 cm wide, with five, bright lilac-pink petals veined with deeper tones. They are very nectar-rich, visited by bees and other pollinating insects. They follow one another from May to August-September if lightly pruned after a major flush of flowering.

In the garden, Geranium sanguineum Frivolius™ Lilac is perfect for filling the front of sunny borders, stabilising a dry slope or adorning a limestone rockery. Plant it in well-drained soil, even stony or poor soil. In a terrace border or large container, it will accompany low-growing grasses and dryland perennials. It pairs particularly well with Nepeta faassenii ‘Purrsian Blue’, with its blue spikes, Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’ in ochre tones, the grass Stipa tenuifolia ‘Pony Tails’ and its blonde plumes, or Phlox subulata ‘Purple Beauty’, a small cushion-forming dryland perennial that flowers generously in spring. Together, these plants create very long-lasting, easy-care borders that are attractive to pollinators.