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Geranium pratense 'Victor Reiter' (Victor Reiter Cranesbill) - This is a hardy clump-forming perennial to 15 inches tall by as wide with deeply-cut foliage and lilac-blue colored flowers. What sets this plant apart from other Geranium pratense is that the new leaves emerge a light maroon color then fade to a purple-flushed deep green. The plant begins producing its lilac-colored flowers in mid to late spring with a good rebloom during the summer which may in turn set seed in your garden (Rogue out the non-purple seedlings). Cut back flower stalks after it has finished blooming and enjoy the foliage well into winter.
Plant in sun or shade (foliage a deeper purple in a sunny location) in a moist, rich soil. It is very cold hardy (Geranium pretense is a northern European species) but does not tolerate heat well. It will remain somewhat evergreen in mild climates.
This plant was a selection from the San Francisco garden of Victor Reiter. Our plants are grown from plants propagated by micropropagation (tissue culture) and should not be confused with the seed strain that has variable foliage color.
The etymology of the genus name Geranium, and the family Geraniaceae, is derived from the Greek word, 'geranos' which means "crane" from the seed capsule's resemblance to beak of this bird. It is a large genus with over 430 species distributed throughout most of the world, except in lowland tropical areas. We grew this plant at San Marcos Growers from 2003 to 2005.
The information displayed on this page about Geranium pratense 'Victor Reiter' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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