Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org a blog about individual climate action. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife and foster biodiversity.
In this post I’ll talk about a spring perennial that is very easy to grow: Geranium Maculatum (Wild geranium).
Quick facts:
- Zones:3-8
- Bloom time: Spring (April-June)
- Sun: Part shade to sun
- Soil Moisture: Medium
- Aggressive: Moderate
- Front yard: YES
- Height: 10”-12”
- Status: OK
- Maintenance: LOW
- Wildlife value: High
Wildlife connection: The flowers attract many types of bees, bumblebees, flies, and butterflies. The leaves are also attractive to many insects that use them for their larvae. The caterpillars of several moths feed on the plant. The foliage and seeds provide food for small animals including chipmunks.
I just realized that is already time to start planning for spring planting. For this reason this week I’ll present this very easy plant that can be started from seeds. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the plant is adaptable and easy to grow. Like all early blooming flowers wild geranium is very important for bees and other insects during a time when there aren’t too many other flowers around.
You have probably seen this plant in wooded areas at some forest preserve, however it does quite well also in full sun. In the garden it spreads readily, forming a thick ground cover. The flowers last from May to June and the leaves persist through the summer and change color to a dark purple in fall. I let the plant spread freely because it is actually a great ground cover that doesn’t allow weeds to take over the mulched areas. It took me a while to realize this fact, but now I have decided to harness the power of fast spreading native ground covers into a weed control mechanism. I’ll talk more about this in a future post.
The nice thing about wild geranium is that after the bloom is over it tolerates the tall prairie plants around it and therefore can be planted in the same place as taller summer blooming plants.
I started my geraniums from seeds but also planted a few small plants. Both methods were successful. Of course seeds allow to cover more but they take at least one extra season to fully develop. For this reason a mixed approach worked best for me. If you have the planting area ready, now is a good time to sow the seeds outside as soon as the snow has melted as they require about two months of cold to germinate.
If you have an area in your yard where you have room for a ground cover, geranium maculatum is a great choice, especially if you are new to native gardening, I hope you will consider it, and please look for the full botanical name (geranium maculatum) before purchasing to avoid cultivars.
The YouChoose App provides several links to resources to get you started with sustainable gardening. It also provides links to native plants in specific regions. You can download it from Google Play or through the link on the right. Please make sure to purchase native flowers from nurseries that don’t use neonicotinoids.
Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org
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