Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' — Clump-forming, Mat-forming, Trailing, Carpet-forming

Overview

Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' is a clump-forming, mat-forming, trailing, carpet-forming herbaceous perennial in the genus Geranium, part of the Geraniaceae family, with light green, bright green, silvery, dissected, patterned foliage. Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' grows best in full sun, and tolerates loam soils and neutral pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H5. Suggested uses include borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens, woodland beds and containers.

About

Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' is a herbaceous perennial geranium with dissected, patterned foliage that ranges from light to silvery green and a low, mat-forming habit. It flowers from June to September. Plants form clumps and trailing carpets that suit edges and underplanting. It is commonly planted in borders, rock and woodland beds and in containers.

About the genus

Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums, hardy geraniums, or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, with the greatest diversity in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region.

Wikipedia contributors, "Geranium", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Geranium

In the garden

A member of the Geraniaceae, Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' combines a clump-forming crown with trailing, carpet-forming stems and dissected, patterned foliage showing light and silvery-green tones. Flowering is concentrated from June to September, when the habit produces a low mass of stems and leaves that sits well at the front of a border or beneath taller perennials. Give it a sunny site in neutral loam that drains freely and avoid waterlogged conditions; the plant prefers a sheltered position facing south, west or east. Hardiness H5 denotes a hardy perennial capable of surviving most UK winters when established, though a sheltered aspect helps reduce winter exposure to cold winds. Keep the soil reasonably well-drained to prevent crown rot and lift or move containers in prolonged wet weather. Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' fits well at the front of mixed borders, in cottage-style plantings, rock gardens and woodland beds, and it adapts to containers where its trailing stems can be displayed. Allow those stems to spill over paving or pot rims to show the patterned foliage and to form a low carpet beneath larger shrubs.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Geranium

Sunlight: Full sun
Soil type: Loam
Soil pH: Neutral
Soil moisture: Well-drained
Aspect: South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
Exposure: Sheltered
UK hardiness: H5

Plant details

Geranium phaeum 'Anita Alice' size, habit and characteristics

Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
Habit: Clump-forming, Mat-forming, Trailing, Carpet-forming
Foliage: Light green, Bright green, Silvery, Dissected, Patterned
Suggested uses: Borders, Cottage gardens, Rock gardens, Woodland beds, Containers