Perennial of the Month-- July 2007 

(ger-A-knee-um  FAY-um) (pronunciation at link, turn up volume if too low)

Common name: Mourning widow perennial geranium, dusky cranesbill

Family: Geraniaceae, Geranium

Height x width: 12-24" x 12-18" (flowers to 30" high in ideal conditions)

Growth rate, habit: moderate, upright dense mound

Foliage: a main attraction of this cultivar is the brownish-purple blotches that surround the base of each lobe; generally circular outline widely cut into 5-7 lobes with scalloped edges, coarsely toothed, mature leaves 3-5" across

Flowers: reflexed, dark reddish-purple in late May to early June (zone 4); pistil and stamens are exserted, 1-1 1/2 inch wide with 5 petals, single on axillary peduncles

Hardiness: USDA zones 3-8

Soil: well-drained, tolerates drought once established due to thickened roots

Light: sun to part shade, tolerates shade

Pests and problems: none significant; reported have been leaf spots, rusts, powdery mildew, mosaic virus, Asiatic garden beetle, four-lined plant bug

Landscape habit, uses: borders, woodlands, rock gardens; combines well with globeflower, daffodils, avens, purple-leaved bugbane, facing purple-leaved shrubs such as weigela and ninebark

Other interest: selected by Elizabeth Strangman of Washfield nursery in the U.K and introduced in 1990; originally from Croatia (formerly Yugoslavia), where it was a natural variant growing in damp woods; named after the Croatian town of Samobor; sometimes listed under var. phaeum; sometimes misspelled Samobar; dark often pointed downward flowers suggest a "widow in mourning:

Other culture: may self seed in warm climates, in which case and if not desired remove flower stalks after bloom; seedlings will be true unless other varieties of the species nearby with which it can cross; in hot climates it can get floppy, in which case shear back half way after flowering for regrowth

Propagation: seeds, divide in early spring

Sources: specialty perennial nurseries local, mail order, and online, Geraniaceae.com