Geranium maderense | Giant Herb-Robert Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Geranium maderense | Giant Herb-Robert — 19cm / 3L
Giant Herb Robert (Madeira Cranesbill)

Geranium maderense | Giant Herb-Robert

£18.99
Protect from hard frostSun-lovingEvergreenLoved by pollinators
Pot size
19cm / 3L £18.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

The Geranium maderense, widely known as the giant herb Robert or Madeira cranesbill, is one of the most theatrical hardy exotics you can grow. From a short, stout trunk it builds a spectacular architectural rosette of huge, finely cut palmate leaves, then erupts into a vast dome of magenta-pink flowers that can smother the whole plant. Native to the island of Madeira, it is the giant of the geranium world and a true focal point for a warm, sheltered corner.

This is a statuesque, short-lived exotic best understood as a biennial or monocarpic perennial. It spends its first year or two building that bold evergreen rosette, flowers gloriously in late spring and early summer, then sets seed and fades, leaving a scatter of self-sown seedlings to carry on. Rated RHS H3, it is happiest in the mildest, most sheltered gardens and coastal spots, where it can be grown outdoors year round with winter protection in colder areas. Explore more of our hardy exotic plants to build a scheme around it.

Its architectural presence makes it a natural focal point in architectural foliage planting and lush exotic borders, while its manageable size suits a large pot on a sheltered patio, so browse our plants for pots and containers. The nectar-rich flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators, earning it a place among our plants for pollinators too. For a realistic picture of how tender exotics behave through the seasons, read hardy exotics: what to expect.

Every Geranium maderense we supply is nursery grown and carefully selected for a strong, healthy rosette, then packed with care to arrive in superb condition and ready to become the star of your exotic planting.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Giant Herb Robert (Madeira Cranesbill)

Plant me in full sun and protect me when hard frost threatens.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Giant Herb Robert (Madeira Cranesbill)

Geranium maderense | Giant Herb-Robert needs full sun or partial shade or full shade and well-drained soil. It is half-hardy to around −5°C and needs protection from hard frost.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H3 · Semi-hardy · down to around −5°C

RHS H3, so protect the crown over winter and give it your warmest position.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered

full sun to partial shade in a warm, sheltered spot, and it also copes with coastal exposure in mild areas.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

any fertile, free-draining soil, from chalk to clay, loam or sand, across the full pH range.

Watering

Water regularly through the first season to settle the rosette in, keeping the soil moist but never waterlogged. Once established it is fairly drought-tolerant. Allow it to self-seed after flowering, as this short-lived, monocarpic plant renews itself readily from its own seedlings. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first season to settle the rosette in, keeping the soil moist but never waterlogged. Once established it is fairly drought-tolerant. Allow it to self-seed after flowering, as this short-lived, monocarpic plant renews itself readily from its own seedlings.

Mature size

Height1-1.5 m
Spread1-1.5 m

Reaches full size in 1-2 years

Growth habit

Tufted

Flowering

Apr-Jun · Purple

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Monocarpic: the big rosette dies after it flowers. Cut the whole spent plant away then, and leave the self-sown seedlings to replace it.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets. True hardy geraniums (Cranesbills) are generally regarded as non-toxic, and are not the tender Pelargonium types sometimes sold as geraniums.

Native range

Madeira

Family

Geraniaceae

Also known as

Geranium maderense | Giant Herb-Robert

Genus

Geranium
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Geranium maderense hardy in the UK?

Geranium maderense is only borderline hardy, rated RHS H3, so it is best in the mildest, most sheltered gardens and coastal areas. In colder spots grow it in a container that can be moved under cover, or protect the crown with fleece over winter. Browse more of our hardy exotics for the full range.

Is Geranium maderense a biennial or a perennial?

It is a short-lived, monocarpic perennial that often behaves as a biennial. It builds a leafy evergreen rosette for a year or two, flowers spectacularly, then sets seed and dies. The good news is that it self-seeds freely, so fresh plants come along to replace it.

How big does Geranium maderense get?

Expect a bold rosette around 1 to 1.5 m tall and roughly as wide once it throws up its flowering dome. That architectural scale makes it a natural centrepiece for exotic borders.

When does Geranium maderense flower?

Flowering usually begins in the plant's second year, with a huge dome of magenta-pink blooms in late spring and early summer, roughly April to June. The nectar-rich flowers are loved by bees, so it sits well among our plants for pollinators.

Can Geranium maderense be grown in a pot?

Yes. A large, free-draining container suits it well and lets you move the plant to a sheltered spot or under cover for winter, which is ideal in colder gardens. See our plants for pots and containers for more ideas.

Is Geranium maderense toxic to pets?

True hardy geraniums such as Geranium maderense are generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets, and should not be confused with the tender Pelargonium types often sold as geraniums. As with any plant, it is sensible to discourage pets from chewing the foliage.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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