Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Other Names:  Heronsbill, Stork's Bill, Storksbill

Description:

This pretty little plant forms a low clump of tiny lobed and filigreed leaves; starry, candy pink flowers have deep pink veins, and appear from late spring until fall; wonderful for border edging, groundcover for small areas, or containers

Ornamental Features

Bishop's Form Heron's Bill has masses of beautiful clusters of pink star-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and hot pink veins at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its attractive tiny fragrant lobed leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Bishop's Form Heron's Bill is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

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.

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

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bishop's Form Heron's Bill will grow to be only 3 inches tall at maturity extending to 4 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. 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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Bishop's Form 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. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.