Geranium clarkei Kashmir Pink

The perennial Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Pink', or Clarke's Geranium 'Kashmir Pink', is a perennial and spreading plant with deeply lobed leaves. It has cup-shaped flowers in summer and September, bright candy pink with red veins. Very finely cut foliage, semi-evergreen. A fast-growing plant forming beautiful ground cover, suitable for all exposures, in moist but well-drained soil.

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

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Pink' 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: from the year following planting at a rate of one plant every 60 cm (24in), the entire space between and under the rose bushes will be filled with flowers and foliage but without hindering the growth and flowering of the roses.