Erodium glandulosum Spanish Eyes - Storksbill

Erodium or STorksbill Spanish Eyes is a variety with evergreen silver-green foliage, aromatic and highly divided, which is covered in summer with delicate flowers that look like paper. They are composed of 5 delicate and transparent petals, pink-lilac veined with purple, two of which have additional purple spots at the base. It is a perennial that loves the heat and drought of a well-exposed rocky soil. Similar to geraniums, it is easy to grow and its very pleasant flowering combines well with its light foliage. It is a groundcover plant that only dislikes heavy soils and soil that becomes waterlogged in winter.

Erodium belongs to the Geraniaceae family. Erodium Spanish Eyes is derived from the species E. glandulosum, native to the Pyrenees. It forms a compact and dense clump and has very divided silver-green foliage, reminiscent of ferns. This foliage is evergreen in winter.  Floral stems rise above this vegetation, bearing very open umbels of five petals, pink-lilac, veined with purple, marked with darker spots on only two petals. Overall this forms a 20 cm (8in) tall and 30 cm (12in) wide groundcover, which is very floriferous from May to September. Like its perennial relative, it is also called Cranesbill, alluding to its elongated fruit that appears at the end of flowering. If allowed to mature, the plant self-seeds abundantly.

Erodium Spanish Eyes is resistant to cold and drought. Beneath the apparent delicacy of its flowers lies a vigorous perennial groundcover, easy to grow in any well-draining soil in the sun, provided the soil remains dry and well-drained in winter. It is ideal in a rockery and in a trough, top of a wall associated with Stipas, low Sedums or Origans. It is also perfect on a slope or in a raised and sunny bed. It grows well in pots.