Geranium phaeum Album

Description

Geranium phaeum ‘Album’ – white mourning widow

Botanical name: Geranium phaeum ‘Album’
Common names: Mourning widow, dusky cranesbill
Family: Geraniaceae
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Habit: Upright, clump-forming
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 60–75cm tall × 45cm spread
Foliage: Softly lobed, green leaves, sometimes faintly blotched; deciduous
Flowers: Nodding, elegant pure white flowers with reflexed petals, held on slender stems, in late spring to early summer (May–June)
Scent: Not notably scented
Aspect / light: Partial to full shade; tolerates dry shade
Soil: Most soils; humus-rich, moist but well-drained; tolerates dry shade; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H7 (very hardy, below −20°C); USDA zones 4–8
Exposure: Sheltered or exposed; very tolerant
Native range: Garden form; hardy geraniums are native across Europe and Asia
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Geranium phaeum ‘Album’ is an elegant white mourning widow, its nodding pure white flowers glowing in shade in late spring. One of the best cranesbills for dry shade under trees and shrubs.

GardenAdvice notes

The white form of the dusky cranesbill or ‘mourning widow’, this is one of the loveliest of all shade perennials — slender stems carry nodding, pure white flowers with elegantly reflexed petals in late spring, glowing luminously in a dim, shady spot. Tough and adaptable, it thrives in the dry shade beneath trees and shrubs, self-seeds gently, and asks almost nothing in return.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring or autumn in most soils soil in partial to full shade; tolerates dry shade — hardy geraniums are among the easiest and most adaptable of all perennials. Space about 45cm apart. Water while establishing.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Shear the whole plant over after flowering to tidy it and encourage a fresh mound of foliage. It self-seeds gently, which is usually welcome as it colonises shady ground, but seedlings are easily removed. Cut down old growth in late winter. Water while establishing; thereafter it tolerates dry shade well.

Propagation

• Division: Lift and divide established clumps in spring, as growth begins.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free and healthy — hardy geraniums are among the most reliable of all perennials. Slugs may graze new growth, and powdery mildew or rust can occur in dry spells. Otherwise easy.

Uses in the garden

Superb in shady and woodland borders, under trees and shrubs, in dry shade and with ferns and other shade plants, where its nodding white flowers light up dim corners in late spring.

Wildlife value

Hardy geraniums are excellent for pollinators: their open, saucer-shaped flowers are very attractive to bees, hoverflies and other beneficial insects, often over a long season.

Toxicity & safety

Hardy geraniums are generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets. Note that they are quite different from pelargoniums (the tender bedding and pot ‘geraniums’), which are toxic to cats and dogs.

GardenAdvice tip

The white mourning widow is a beautiful thing for shade — nodding, elegant white flowers on slender stems, glowing in a dim corner in late spring, and it copes happily with dry shade under trees. Shear the whole plant over once flowering finishes and it throws up a fresh mound of clean foliage. It self-seeds gently, which is welcome in a woodland border.

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