Geranium Censation Daily Purple

The perennial Geranium Censation Daily Purple is a recent Dutch hybrid, remarkably floriferous, with flowers ranging from beautiful shades of mauve to purple-pink, rich and bright. Its flowers bloom in abundance, almost continuously from spring to the first frost, on a rather creeping plant densely covered with dark olive-green leaves. This variety creates delightful ground cover in the sun or partial shade, alongside pathways, in rock gardens or as a border plant. Hardy, long-lasting and adaptable, it is easily grown in any good garden soil.

Geranium 'Daily Purple' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a recently obtained horticultural hybrid in the Netherlands, with undisclosed parentage. It is an herbaceous plant with a perennial stump, its above-ground vegetation disappearing in winter. This geranium has a very low, dense and wide dome-shaped habit, reaching about 25 cm (10in) in height, with a spread of at least 40 cm (16in), sometimes even more depending on the conditions. This variety has an exceptionally long flowering period, from June to October-November, depending on the climate. The cup-shaped flowers measure 3 cm (1in) in diameter and are adorned with a bright hue, a fairly deep mauve with pink tints, and traversed by beautiful veins of violet-purple which dive towards a violet heart. The foliage, finely cut and dissected, displays a greenish olive to bronze-green colour that enhances the flowers. The leaves are deeply lobed, puckered, with very dentate edges. This perennial sends out spreading and branching stems from its stump, slightly decumbent, without rooting.  

The perennial Geranium 'Daily Purple' is ideal alongside pathways or in flowerbeds, and also makes a lovely plant for dressing up a slope or a rock garden that is not too dry. In partial shade it will thrive alongside Campanula 'Burghaltii' or Pulmonaria 'Diane Claire' with its beautiful silver foliage. It can also be combined with corydalis, Chiastophyllum oppositifolium or Chrysogonum virginianum. It enjoys creeping under low, deciduous shrub branches, where it is never suffocating. Perennial geraniums, like catmints, are good companions for roses as they adorn their base.