very nice. I have a tiny double flowering erodium that is similar.

Sedumzz, that is a nice little erodium, looking like one of the Erodium x variabile selections... A lot of that type show up being sold as fairy garden plants, and the commercial growers add their own common names to them. They are not hardy here in central Ontario, but need to come indoors for the winter. They are one of the few erodiums that do fine indoors in a bright window or under lights.

There are only a handful of erodiums that I have found to be hardy here in zone 4. The Hardy Geraniums do a little better... At one point I had collected around 200 different cultivars/species, but grow fewer now.


Some of the erodiums are weedy types. I do like to collect and sow from seed.


E. manescavii is one of the hardy varieties that will over-winter outdoors here.


This Erodium 'William Bishop' actually loved growing in the holes of a brick. Not being hardy, it was easy to bring the brick indoors.. It thrived in a sunny window over the winter.

Wow, that is really interesting.

I can't say I've kept up on Erodiums, but 40 years ago I grew Erodium chamaedryoides, a double form. (I wouldn't be surprised of the latin name has changed by now....) It overwintered in Minnesota in a south facing picture window. One year I had an early, huge snowfall that stayed all winter, and the ground never froze beyond a light crust under the snow. This erodium survived just fine.

Yes, the geranium species are generally more cold hardy. I am a member of the North American Rock Garden Society, and current Chair of the Minnesota Chapter. We will be helping with seed packaging for the NARGS seed exchange in a week or so. Are you part of ORGS? I grew up using the Society's only germination guide.

Yes Leftwood, I WAS a member of ORGS for several years, but being over an hour north of Toronto and with the meetings on Sunday, I was not attending any meetings. I am a member of Nargs and enjoy the journal quite a lot! I also am a member of the Scottish Rock Garden Club, The Hardy Plant Society (UK), and the Hardy Geranium Group... More seeds available than I could ever sow anyway. :)

Yes that is a really 'old' name! I only know of one double erodium and that is Erodium x variabile 'Flore Pleno'. A photo of mine below. It is not hardy here.

The one I use to have had double flowers with only twice the normal number of petals. A hose-in-hose type.

Now you got me thinking... those little guys are so cute, they might make good bonsai companion plants.

Yes, I bet they would make great bonsai companions! I saw some being used in that way at my local nursery.
I have mine growing close to a double pink rose. I think it kind of mirrors the overall shape (from a distance, of course).

It doesn't seem to enjoy our summers, as it dies back. But it seems to be making a comeback right now.