Geranium clarkei Kashmir Purple

Perennial Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple', also known as Clarke's Geranium, is a creeping perennial with trailing stems and deeply lobed leaves. Cup-shaped flowers, in summer and again in September, lilac-pink with red veins. Finely cut foliage, semi-evergreen. A fast-growing plant that forms beautiful ground cover, suitable for all exposures, in moist but well-drained soil.

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Blue' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. This rhizomatous perennial has a mat-forming habit. The type species G. clarkei Yeo is native to the western Himalayas in India, where it grows in mountain meadows in Kashmir. The spreading, carpeting, rounded clump reaches a height of 35 cm (14in), with a spread of 50 cm (20in). Its growth is fast. The honey and nectar producing flowering lasts all summer, from June to September, with a pause during the hottest days of July-August. The inflorescence is a compound cyme of round and open flowers, pink-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 slender, opening to project the seeds further. This geranium has deciduous to semi-evergreen foliage, consisting of leaves divided into seven lobes, medium green, measuring 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6in) in length, with each lobe deeply cut into narrow and pointed segments. It forms a non-invasive ground cover.

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