Geranium maculatum 'Espresso' - WILD GERANIUM 'ESPRESSO'

"Fairly large, dark bronze, deeply divided foliage. Dark veined, dusty pink flowers with heart-shaped petals eventually fade to white. Flowers for several weeks from May. Foliage has attractive autumn color.“ – Darwin's Perennials

Beautiful selection with some "wild blood," so it can be used as a wildflower, to naturalize, for pollinator gardens, but also grows excellently in a flower bed in full sun to half shade. It can be planted in small groups or as single plants, and can be used as groundcover plant.

Nice perennial combinations can be made with the yellow, crème yellow, or chartreuse colors of Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee,' Alchemilla mollis, Carex x morrowii (variegated forms), Iris pallida ‘Variegata‘, Iris pallida ‘Argenteo-Variegata‘, Hakonechloa macra (variegated varieties), early flowering types of Hemerocallis with yellow flowers, Heuchera (varieties with lime green leaves), yellow-leaved cultivar of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis ‘Gold Leaf‘), or the bright green leaves of ferns (Athyrium filix femina; also pairs well with A. filix femina ‘Lady in Red‘).

This plant can also be paired with Aquilegia, Aruncus, Bergenia, Brunnera, Helleborus, blue-gray Hosta, Omphalodes, and Pulmonaria.

Good native perennial companions are these plants and their cultivars: Actaea (or Cimicifuga), Agastache foeniculum, Aruncus dioicus, Asarum, Asclepias exaltata, Aster ( A. ciliolatus, A. cordifolius, A. divaricatus, A. novae-agliae, A. macrophyllus), Eupatorium coelestinum, Hepatica, Heuchera, Iris cristata, Mertensia virginica, Penstemon calycosus, Podophyllum peltatum, Polemonium reptans, Phlox paniculata, woodland phloxes (P. bifida, P. divaricata, P. stolonifera), Rudbeckia fulgida, Sanquinaria canadensis, Sedum ternatum, Senecio aureus, Silene virginica, Solidago caesia, Solidago flexicaulis, Stylophorum diphyllum, Tradescantia, Trillium, etc., as well as native ferns or grasses like Carex, Chasmantium latifolium, and Deschampsia caespitosa.

Blooming Time: May–June/July
Size: 24” high x 18” wide, spacing 15”
USDA Zones: 5 to 8
Culture: full sun, half shade, grows well in average soil with medium moisture. Prefers rich, organic soil (decaying leaves, compost, old manure). Tolerates droughts.
Moisture Needs: medium, medium-dry
Origin: Selection from North Creek Nurseries, Pennsylvania, from the woods of Landenberg. The wild species of Geranium maculatum is a native wildflower to eastern North America from Quebec to Manitoba and south to the Florida panhandle and Louisiana. Usually grows in deciduous woodlands, alluvial forests, thickets, roadsides, savannas, meadows, rocky glades, and sometimes in wet prairies.
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes/yes, but deer can occasionally browse it
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: yes, bumblebees, several native bees, butterflies, pollinating flies and skippers. This wildflower hosts the caterpillars of several moth species.  
Attracts Hummingbirds: no, but some birds feed on the seeds (as well as eastern chipmunks)
Pot Size: 3.5" x 4" perennial pot (1.22 pt/580 ml)