Is Bloody Cranesbill deer resistant?
Geranium sanguineum
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Bloody Cranesbill
Magenta flowers over finely cut leaves that turn red in autumn, and it tolerates dry sunny banks better than most cranesbills. Rated Occasionally Damaged, so in high-pressure gardens use bigroot geranium instead, which is aromatic and rates better.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Bloody Cranesbill
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Bloody Cranesbill keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Bloody Cranesbill
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- AvensGeum sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Balloon FlowerPlatycodon grandiflorusZones 3–8Occasionally damaged
- BellflowerCampanula glomerataZones 3–8Occasionally damaged
- Blanket FlowerGaillardia sp.Zones 3–10, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Cambridge GeraniumGeranium x cantabrigienseZones 4–8Occasionally damaged
- Chameleon SpurgeEuphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'Zones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Bloody Cranesbill
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Bloody Cranesbill grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Bloody Cranesbill belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Bloody Cranesbill
- Is Bloody Cranesbill deer resistant?
- Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Bloody Cranesbill grow in?
- Bloody Cranesbill is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Bloody Cranesbill grow in shade?
- Yes. Bloody Cranesbill tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Bloody Cranesbill get?
- Mature height is roughly 10–20 in. Growth rate is moderate.