Geranium harveyi (Silver Geranium) - This is a mounding perennial to 1 foot tall by 4 feet wide with fine-textured foliage that is silky-green above and silver below. The small magenta flowers are pretty, but it is the foliage that is the real attraction.
Plant in a well-drained soil in full sun. It is drought tolerant and cold hardy to about 20-25° F. An excellent plant for containers, rock garden or border edging.
Geranium harveyi comes from mountainous areas of Transkei and Western Cape, South Africa. It seems short lived but often reseeds in the garden.
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 nice plant from 2000 until 2006.
The information about Geranium harveyi displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |