Other Names:  Showy Heronsbill, Stork's Bill, Storksbill

Description:

This pretty variety forms a low, mounded clump of pinnate, finely divided, hairy foliage; masses of cerise-pink flowers with crimson blotches appear in late spring until fall; wonderful for border edging, groundcover for small areas, or containers

Ornamental Features

Manescau Heron's Bill has masses of beautiful clusters of hot pink star-shaped flowers with white eyes and purple veins rising above the foliage from late spring to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its attractive tomentose ferny pinnately compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Manescau Heron's Bill is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Manescau Heron's Bill is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Manescau Heron's Bill will grow to be about 15 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America..

Manescau Heron's Bill is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.