StickyGeraniumUSU.jpg

Sticky Purple Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum)

from $8.99

Botanical name: Geranium viscosissimum •  Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: Pink-purple with darker veining • Pollinator value: Strong nectar and pollen for bumble bees and solitary bees

Pink-purple saucers with darker veins running into the throat, held over deeply cut leaves that are sticky to the touch. A mountain-meadow plant that brings a softer, greener look to a garden. Strong pollen and nectar for bumblebees and solitary bees in late spring.

Botanical name: Geranium viscosissimum •  Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: Pink-purple with darker veining • Pollinator value: Strong nectar and pollen for bumble bees and solitary bees

Pink-purple saucers with darker veins running into the throat, held over deeply cut leaves that are sticky to the touch. A mountain-meadow plant that brings a softer, greener look to a garden. Strong pollen and nectar for bumblebees and solitary bees in late spring.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Geranium viscosissimum

Common Name: Sticky Purple Geranium

Native: Native

Native Region: Middle/Central Rockies; Northern Rockies; Great Basin; Columbia Plateau

Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Late spring to summer

Bloom Color: Pink-purple with darker veining

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies

Deer Resistant: No

Mature Size: W 1'-2' x H 1'-3'

Soil: Well-drained; average soil

Pollinator Value: Strong nectar and pollen for bumble bees and solitary bees

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 3 to 8

Spread Habit: Clumping

Available As: Live plant

Growing Notes

Full sun to part sun in well-drained, average soil, with more water than the desert natives here want but nothing heavy. It takes afternoon shade well, which is useful in Northern Nevada. Space about 18 inches apart. Note that this one is not deer-resistant; it is palatable browse, so site it accordingly if deer visit.

  • Water: Moderate

  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; average soil

  • Mature size: W 1'-2' x H 1'-3'

Maintenance

Cut back tired foliage after flowering and it will produce a fresh mound of leaves that stays presentable into fall. Leave growth standing over winter and clean up in early spring. It is long-lived and needs no division. Do not fertilize.