Geranium macrorrhizum
Bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum) is a ground cover plant that reaches 40 cm × 60 cm after ten years. Light: full sun, part shade, shade. Hardy down to -34 °C. Drought tolerance: high. Sold in local shops from about CZK 69.
A perennial that slowly spreads on thick rhizomes into a dense, weed-smothering carpet; its soft, lobed leaves are strongly aromatic when rubbed and turn red in autumn. Pink, magenta or white flowers open above the foliage in late spring and early summer. One of the best ground covers under trees and shrubs, even in dry shade, and it needs hardly any care; it only resents waterlogged soil and appreciates watering in blazing sun.
| Group | Ground cover |
| Light | Full sun, Part shade, Shade |
| Size after 10 years | 40 cm × 60 cm |
| Ultimate size | 30–50 cm × 30–60 cm |
| Hardiness | down to -34 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7) |
| Soil | Average garden soil, Calcareous, Clay, Sandy |
| Foliage | Semi-evergreen |
| Flowering | May–August, pink, purple, white |
| Water need | Medium |
| Drought tolerance | High |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Root aggressiveness | Low |
| Suckering | no data |
| Spreading | Medium |
| Distance from buildings | no data |
| Distance from paving | no data |
| Litter | not typical |
| Planting distance | 40 cm |
| For dogs | no data |
| For cats | no data |
| For children | no data |
| Typical price | from about CZK 69 |
Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.
The same plant is sold as a small pot and as a specimen several metres tall, and the price follows. Prices are rounded and for guidance only.
|
Size
|
Typical price
|
|---|---|
| size not stated | approx. CZK 69 – CZK 120 |
Data updated: October 17, 2026 · How our data is made
Ground cover plants against weeds: which goes where, and how many you need
A ground cover keeps weeds out once it has closed up: until then, usually for two or three summers, it needs mulch and weeding. Under trees and in shade, lesser periwinkle, bigroot geranium, barrenwort and barren strawberry do best; in sunny, dry places stonecrops, thymes and creeping junipers. Most perennial ground covers take 9-18 plants per square metre. The tables work out what a square metre costs at today's shop prices in your country.
Building a rock garden: stone, soil and plants step by step
A rock garden belongs on a sunny, gentle slope, in lean, free-draining soil: one third garden soil, one third coarse sand, one third crushed stone. Lay the stones, all of one kind, in layers leaning the same way and sunk a third to a half into the ground, so that about two fifths of the surface is stone. Four to six plants per square metre are enough: creeping junipers and grasses make the frame, and between them cushion perennials, stonecrops and thymes flower from March to October.
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