Geranium renardii Philippe Vapelle

The perennial geranium Philippe Vapelle is a vigorous perennial, forming a low, regular and spreading cushion. Above its semi-evergreen to evergreen, velvety foliage, similar to that of sage, gray-green, wavy, with a surface that is almost granular, it offers an abundant light purple-blue flowering in spring, each flower being strongly veined with dark purple-blue. With its bright flowering, decorative foliage all year round, and good character, it deserves a place in the sun, in the rockery or along the path, with its feet in the dry, gravelly soil that it loves.

This perennial geranium belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding between Geranium renardii and Geranium platypetalum. The former, native to the Caucasus, very long-lived, has passed on its thick and velvety foliage, intensely veined flowers, frugality, and adaptation to drought. The latter, native to the Caucasus and Turkey, has brought a little more volume, larger leaves, better floribundity, and increased hardiness. 'Philippe Vapelle' has a dense and regular cushion-like habit, forming a small dome of 30 cm (12in) in all directions, with fairly rapid growth. The foliage is mostly evergreen. The gray-green leaves are round, thick, divided into 5 or 7 lobes with crenate edges, both rough and velvety, with well-defined veins. The flowering takes place in June-July, in the form of flowers with 5 petals measuring 3 cm (1in) in diameter, violet-blue clearly marked with darker veins. The flowers are more numerous than in G.renardii, while being finely patterned.

The perennial geranium 'Philippe Vapelle' thrives in poor and dry soils, which enhance the velvety character of its foliage. Plant it in the rockery, on a slope, or even in a pot on the balcony or terrace. It goes well with erodiums, thymes, santolines, gray and wooly foliage of dwarf artemisias, the perennial geranium cinereum var. Subcaulescens. Plant it prominently at the edge of a flower bed to enjoy its decorative foliage for more than nine months of the year. It pairs well with a violet perennial geranium like rozanne or as a foreground to roses.