Geranium Nimbus

The 'Nimbus' perennial Geranium is a vigorous and hardy perennial. Johnson's Blue was thought to be perfect, but here comes a newcomer that could steal the show. Even brighter, its pretty lavender-blue flowers veined with purple and with a white centre are also larger, and its habit is taller but just as dense. This hybrid flowers abundantly from late spring, throughout summer, and until September, with a break in August. The foliage forms a spreading clump, which can make a perfect ground cover that turns into lovely warm hues in autumn. Resistant and easy to grow, it will be highly appreciated in borders and edgings, in pots, in good garden soil, always in the sun.

The 'Nimbus' perennial Geranium belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding between Geranium collinum (a montane species close to G.pratensis) and the highly floriferous G. clarkei 'Kashmir Purple'. It forms, early in spring, a rounded and spreading bush, 50 cm (20in) high and 60 cm (24in) in diameter. The flowering, intense and generous, starts at the end of May and lasts until September if the weather is not too dry. If the summer is hot and dry, it will pause in August and resume in September. The flowers are numerous, rather wide cups, star-shaped, intense mauve-blue, finely veined with purple, with a small white centre. The foliage is deciduous, light to medium green, deeply cut on red stems. The foliage turns bright orange and red in autumn.

The 'Nimbus' Geranium can be used as a border plant but also at the base of modern roses, where it will bring summer interest, especially to pastel-colored roses, which it will adorn. It is suitable for natural gardens, in woodland areas, in rockeries, as well as in seaside gardens. It can be planted on slopes, but without excessive dryness, or it can border a flower bed along with easy-to-grow perennials: Gaura lindheimerii, Nepeta 'Six Hill Giant', heucheras, and Phlox paniculata. On the terrace, it grows very well in pots.