Geranium clarkei Kashmir Blue

The Kashmir Blue Geranium clarkei is a creeping perennial, forming spreading stems with deeply lobed leaves. Cup-shaped flowers in the summer, of lilac-blue veined with red. Finely cut foliage, semi-evergreen. A fast-growing plant, forming beautiful ground cover in all exposures, in cool but well-drained soil.

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Blue' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. This rhizomatous perennial has a creeping habit. The type species G.clarkei Yeo is native to the western Himalayas, in India, where it grows in mountain meadows of Kashmir. The rounded and regular clump will reach a height of 45 cm (18in), with a spread of 60 cm (24in). It has rapid growth. The flowering, nectar- and honey-producing, lasts all summer from June to September, with a break during the hottest days of July-August. The inflorescence is a compound cyme of round and open flowers, blue-lilac veined with purple. The flowers have a translucent texture reminiscent of crepe paper, measuring 4 cm (2in) in diameter. The fruits are long and thin, and open to project the seeds further away. This geranium has deciduous to semi-evergreen foliage, composed of leaves divided into seven lobes, medium green, 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6in) long, each lobe deeply cut into narrow and pointed segments. It forms a non-invasive ground cover.

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Blue' is ideal for borders, in front of beds of plants or bushes with not too shallow roots. Perennial geraniums offer a good solution to prevent the proliferation of weeds. This is particularly interesting for the base of roses. The year following planting, with a rate of one plant every 60 cm (24in), the entire space between and under the rose bushes will be covered with flowers and foliage, without hindering the growth and flowering of the roses.