Geranium sylvaticum Birch Lilac

The Geranium sylvaticum 'Birch Lilac', also known as Wood Cranesbill, is adapted to the damp shade of the undergrowth. It is a lush deciduous herbaceous perennial, a large spreading bush, which is adorned with abundant lilac-blue flowers with white centers in spring and summer. Resembling the meadow cranesbill, it differs from it by its slightly less dissected foliage. Ideal in cool and shady areas of the garden, in natural gardens, it is not afraid of the harsh winter cold and thrives in heavy and moist soils. This simple and grand plant will find its place in any garden.

Geranium sylvaticum 'Birch Lilac' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a selection of the Wood Cranesbill, native to Europe, where it grows in undergrowth and damp meadows. This large herbaceous perennial, very hardy, forms a bushy and spreading mass of 40 cm (16in) when in bloom, with a spread of 30 cm (12in). Its growth is quite fast. It blooms in summer, from May to July, with open trumpet-shaped flowers, in a fresh and bright color, between blue and pink, illuminated by white in the center. The flowers, 2 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, are grouped in compact cymes. The anthers are dark blue, the pistil is pink. Its basal leaves are compound with 7 lobes, deeply dissected and dentate, carried by ramified stems. The foliage is deciduous. The plant is pubescent, glandular at the top, and shows a thick and oblique stump.

Perennial and vigorous, this variety thrives in shade, it enjoys coolness and self-seeds spontaneously in humus-rich soils, forming magnificent colonies that are spectacular in the undergrowth in spring. Beautiful in the undergrowth, combine it with golden foliage; Millium effusum 'Aureum', Carex elata 'Aurea', Carex oshimensis 'Evergold', the yellow-blue contrast is, as usual, superb.