Geranium Bevans Variety

• Variety: Bevan's Variety
• Latin name: Geranium macrorrhizum 'Bevan's Variety'
• Type: Herbaceous perennial (semi-evergreen groundcover)
• Flower: Deep magenta-pink
• Height: 30cm (12in)
• Spread: 60cm (2ft)
• Flowering: May–June
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy (H7)
• Pruning: Cut back after flowering for fresh foliage; tidy in spring
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: Pot-grown plants
• Plant outdoors: Any time the ground is workable
• Delivered: Spring and summer. Collection from Castle Cary also available.

Geranium macrorrhizum 'Bevan's Variety' is a magenta-pink cranesbill reaching 30cm, with aromatic semi-evergreen foliage that turns copper-red in autumn. It spreads steadily by rhizomes and is among the most reliable groundcover perennials for dry shade — one of the trickiest gardening situations there is.

Bevan's Variety – Cranesbill for the Difficult Spots

Geranium macrorrhizum earns its place in gardens by doing something other geraniums will not: it copes with dry shade. The common name "bigroot cranesbill" refers to the thick rhizomes that store water and sustain the plant through difficult conditions, and it means Bevan's Variety will grow under trees, against north-facing walls, or in the shadow of buildings where softer perennials give up. The flowers appear in May and June and are a strong, saturated magenta-pink — deeper than most macrorrhizums — with contrasting pink-red calyces that remain ornamental after the petals drop. The foliage is aromatic when bruised (pleasantly so — a resinous, slightly medicinal scent) and colours well in autumn, turning copper and bronze before partially persisting through winter. Divide a clump in spring and you can spread it around the garden at essentially no cost.

The comparison with Geranium macrorrhizum 'Ingwersen's Variety' — which does hold the RHS AGM — comes up regularly. Ingwersen's is soft pink, nearly white in some lights; Bevan's is a much deeper, bolder magenta. Both are excellent, but Bevan's makes more impact at distance and in darker planting schemes. For a shaded border where the colour needs to read across the garden, Bevan's is the stronger choice.

Companions for Bevan's Variety

Bevan's Variety is at its best in shade, which makes the other shade-tolerant perennials its natural companions. Ajuga Catlin's Giant has the same low spreading habit and flowers in blue-purple just as Bevan's finishes, creating a neat sequence of colour from May through June. Alchemilla erythropoda weaves into the spaces between the geranium clumps and its lime-yellow flowers complement the magenta without competing. For later in the year, Anemone Queen Charlotte rises above the geranium mat in August and September and extends the interest well into autumn. The geranium foliage colour in autumn meanwhile echoes the bronze of the ajuga and the reddish stems of the anemone.

Why Ashridge?

We use peat-free compost and biological pest controls. Geranium macrorrhizum is one of those plants that we recommend with complete confidence regardless of the growing conditions — if it gets established, it copes. The people who grow your plants are the same people who pack your order and answer your questions. Every plant is guaranteed. See the full perennial collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Geranium Bevan's Variety the same as Ingwersen's Variety?

Both are Geranium macrorrhizum, but the flower colour is quite different. Ingwersen's Variety is a very soft, pale pink — almost white in some lights — and holds the RHS AGM. Bevan's Variety is a much deeper, stronger magenta-pink. Both perform equally well as groundcover; the choice is purely a matter of colour preference and the planting context.

Does Geranium macrorrhizum grow in full shade?

Yes — this is its defining virtue. It tolerates dry shade under trees, against north walls, and in the shadow of buildings where most perennials fail. It flowers most freely in part shade or dappled light, but it persists and spreads even in the conditions that defeat other geraniums. The aromatic foliage remains good wherever it is planted.

Is Geranium Bevan's Variety suitable for a pot?

Not ideally. Its spreading rhizomatous habit makes it a natural border or groundcover plant rather than a container subject — it wants room to spread into new ground. For a pot on a patio, one of the compact forms or Rozanne would be more successful.

When should I divide Geranium macrorrhizum?

Spring is best — as growth is beginning, dig up sections of rhizome with roots attached and replant immediately. Autumn division works too but spring recovery is faster. Established clumps can be divided quite ruthlessly; the thick rhizomes give the plant considerable reserves to draw on.

Does Geranium Bevan's Variety have scented foliage?

Yes — the leaves have a distinctive resinous scent when bruised, pleasantly medicinal and slightly pine-like. It is a feature of all Geranium macrorrhizum cultivars. The scent was historically considered to have insect-repellent properties; whether this is true is open to question, but the foliage is certainly free of slug and aphid damage in most gardens.