woolly geranium
Geranium erianthum · Geraniaceae
woolly geranium (Geranium erianthum) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Geraniaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 5 and warmer, down to about -20°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 3 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 4–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | June USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 5 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 4 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 5.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 3 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of June. Flowers are purple.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 20 to 276 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Geranium
- Oregon geranium Geranium oreganum
- Richardson's geranium Geranium richardsonii
- sticky purple geranium Geranium viscosissimum
Similar role and hardiness
- Lyall's angelica Angelica arguta
- broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus
- Columbian sedge Carex aperta
- prickly bog sedge Carex atlantica
- Short's sedge Carex shortiana
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol GEER2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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