A Soon-to-Be Favorite Among the Perennials
Erodium. Not exactly a household name, is it? Some gardening experts, however, predict that one day this small perennial will be as common as its cousin, the geranium.
“People have been attracted to bigger, showier plants, but I think erodiums will become more popular as gardeners discover them,” says Kathryn Jennings, owner of Katie’s Scenteds and Other Greens in Lakewood, which specializes in geraniums and erodiums.
“When people visit the nursery, they really like the regal and angel geraniums, but when I point out the little electric white flower on the Reichardii album erodium, they almost always buy it. Landscapers have even become enamored with erodiums,” she says.
Erodiums have a lot going for them. They flower over a very long period--from spring through fall, depending on the variety. They are mostly small, compact plants, just 3 to 10 inches high and 1 foot across with flowers up to half an inch wide, so they appeal to gardeners with limited space. They are easy to propagate, thrive at the beach, tolerate wind, and stay neat and tidy.
Perhaps best of all, erodiums thrive on neglect, says Jennings. “They are tough, forgiving plants that don’t need a lot of fussing over. If you forget to water them, they’ll suffer a little, but they almost always come back.”
Erodiums grow well in a variety of locations, says Virginia Carlson, a Fullerton gardener, who is past president of the Horticultural Society of Orange County and a gardening teacher at Rancho Santiago Community College.
“Mine do really well in containers,” she says. “They are also great miniature and rock garden-type plants.” Some make good ground cover, and all of them are eye-catching at the front of a flower border.
Erodiums aren’t quite as versatile as geraniums, but they’re definitely useful plants, says Robin Parer, owner of Geraniaceae nursery in Kentfield, Calif., a mail-order and retail nursery that specializes in erodiums and geraniums.
“When you want to make a little statement in the garden, erodiums are a natural choice,” she says. “They aren’t going to blow your socks off. You may have to sink to your knees to admire them.”
Erodiums are definitely plants to admire close up, says Jennings. “Once you get down and see them, they’re breathtaking in their miniature beauty.”
Experts suggest planting erodiums in an area with other small plants because they are easily squashed out by bigger, more vigorous growers. They look good, and attract attention between steppingstones along a path.
Erodiums are native to the Mediterranean area, but not much is known about them, says Parer, who has grown them for almost 20 years. “I used to tear my hair out over the lack of information on erodiums, but I’ve finally come to grips with them,” she says.
Most erodiums take morning sun and afternoon shade inland and full sun along the coast.
They can be divided into three distinct categories.
The first is E. reichardii, the only true shade erodiums. These diminutive plants are 3 to 4 inches high and 10 to 12 inches wide with white, pale pink or dark pink flowers. They grow in little mounds and the leaves are no longer than half an inch.
‘Bishop’s Form’ has light magenta flowers with red veins; ‘Album’ has white flowers with magenta veins; ‘Pipsqueak,’ little white flowers with tiny cherry veins and ‘Rubrum,’ dark reddish-pink single flowers with dark veins.
Erodium corsicum are a hard-to-find specialty selection. These are part-shade plants; they need light morning sun, but no hot afternoon sun. This variety has very small gray succulent leaves and either white or deep-rose flowers with magenta veins.
The second category of erodiums are the perennials, which go dormant in winter, leaving only their crown. Once spring comes, they renew growth like other perennials.
E. manescavi, which comes from the Pyrenees in France, grows up to 20 inches high and 30 inches wide and is the largest erodium known. It has coarsely toothed leaflets. There are five to 20 magenta flowers with prominent silver blotches and darker magenta veins in each flower head, which rises up from the crown. Although the individual flowers aren’t large, Parer says, the flower head creates a spectacular display.
Other types in this category include E. trifolium, which has large softly lobed, and gently toothed hairy leaves. The flowers are white with purplish-red veins and blotches.
E. Castellanum, a Spanish variety, has deep pink flowers with dark blotches and light magenta veins. It is well suited for the front of the border, growing no more than 12 inches high and 18 inches wide.
The third type of erodiums are those that thrive in cracks and walls as well as in well-drained containers and rock gardens. These are feathery-leafed plants.
Species in this category include E. chrysanthum, which has gray-green, silvery leaves and yellow flowers.
You will also find a variety of E. cheilanthifolium, including ‘David Crocker,’ a seed selection of cheilanthifolium, which has silvery foliage and pure white unveined flowers with a raspberry-pink blotch on the upper petals. ‘White Pearls,’ another pure white selection of this species, has translucent veins. This plant is small, reaching just 6 inches high and 12 inches wide.
Katie’s Scented and Other Greens, (562) 619-6266; Geraniaceae, (415) 461-4168 or e-mail geraniac@pacbell.net (Catalog is $4).
The Horticultural Society of Orange County meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the East Anaheim Christian Church, 2216 E. South St., Anaheim (park in rear; enter from Priscilla Street.).
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Tips for Growing Healthy Plants
Though erodiums aren’t demanding plants, they do have a few special needs. The following tips were suggested by Robin Parer of Geraniaceae Nursery in Kentfield, Calif., and Kathryn Jennings, owner of Katie’s Scenteds and Other Greens in Lakewood:
* Provide good drainage. If your soil doesn’t drain well, generously amend with homemade or bagged compost. If drainage is especially poor, create a raised bed or plant in containers. Drainage is very important in winter; erodiums will die if planted in poorly drained soil.
* Prevent mud and water splash on erodiums. Protect plant crowns from rotting by placing a half-inch collar of fine gravel or grit underneath each plant about a half an inch from the plant base. This will keep water at bay.
* Although erodiums aren’t plagued by diseases or pests, gophers do like to nibble on their roots. If gophers invade your yard, grow erodiums in containers or plant them in underground wire baskets.
* Water moderately. Erodiums don’t need a lot of water but like to be kept evenly moist.
* Don’t overfertilize. Erodiums are wild plants that should not be grown in rich soil or overfed. In-ground plants usually don’t need any fertilizer. Containerized plants should be fertilized once a month with an all-purpose fertilizer, or you can add a time-released fertilizer once a year.
* Protect roots of containerized plants. Erodium roots can cook quickly in containers. To prevent this, place the potted erodium inside a larger pot, filling the space in between with gravel. Or place a large rock nearby that shades the plant’s roots.
* Root cuttings in February for new plants. For perennial erodiums separate the growing crowns from one another with a sharp knife, making sure to take pieces of the taproot with each separation.
Strip off old leaves and place the cutting in a 4-inch container of sterilized potting soil so the crown is slightly above the soil level. Two to three will fit in a 4-inch pot. Water well and put in bright shade. They should root within six weeks.
Rock garden erodiums are rooted a little differently. Perennial erodiums have crowns at ground level, so there is no stem. Rock garden types have aboveground crowns and stems that resemble a bunch of fingers that elongate as they grow.
Separate the fingers and cut off the last 2 inches with a sharp knife or pair of clippers. Strip off the old leaves and insert the stem 1 inch into sterile potting mix. Water well and place in bright shade for four to six weeks.
The third type, which includes E. corsicum and reichardii, can be propagated by either means.
* Containerize your erodiums. Erodiums grow really well in pots. They thrive in the following plant mixture: Five equal parts of exploded red lava rock, horticultural sand, potting soil, redwood compost and well-aged chicken manure. Use pumice as an alternative to hard-to-find exploded lava rock.
* Clean up erodiums once a year. Remove dead and spent flowering stems in the spring. New leaves will come up from the cut points.
