“'Blushing Turtle' hardy geranium has this low, mounded and spreading habit that makes it a perfect filler plant or ground cover. This easygoing perennial just keeps pumping out pretty pink flowers…”
Carex flavescens
'Blushing Turtle' Hardy Geranium Brings a Long Bloom to the Garden
'Blushing Turtle' hardy geranium has this low, mounded and spreading habit that makes it a perfect filler plant or ground cover. This easygoing perennial just keeps pumping out pretty pink flowers above small, maple-like foliage — no fuss required.
Common name: 'Blushing Turtle' hardy geranium, cranesbill
Botanical name: Geranium 'Blushing Turtle'
Origin: 'Blushing Turtle' is a hybrid of Geranium sanguineum and one other species or hybrid. It was bred by Karin Kosick in British Columbia, Canada, and selected for its vigorous growth, long flowering period and great habit. It came onto the scene in the early 2000s.
Flowers: Warm pink flowers marked with magenta veins appear in profusion from spring into summer — even into autumn in cooler climates. Give the plant a trim as flowering fades and you can often coax out another, lighter round of blossoms.
Foliage: Small, finely lobed green leaves in a medium green that densely cover the stems to form a solid mass of foliage. In fall, the leaves take on lovely red tones.
Size and habit: Reaches 18 to 20 inches tall and can slowly spread 24 to 36 inches wide, with a mounding shape that — yes — kinda suggests a turtle shell.
Growing 'Blushing Turtle' hardy geranium
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
How to grow it: Grow 'Blushing Turtle' in full sun or part shade and average soil with good drainage. Keep the soil moderately moist while the plant is getting settled. After that, it can handle short dry spells just fine. This is a strong grower that responds well to trimming if it starts to outgrow its spot. USDA Zones 5–8.
