Geranium cinereum Jolly Jewel Red Improved

The Perennial Geranium cinereum 'Jolly Jewel™ Red Improved' is one of the latest creations in the beautiful Jolly Jewel series, and it offers the reddest flowers. Very faithful to its ancestor from the mountains of southern Europe, this small, undemanding plant blooms generously in late spring, then more sporadically throughout the summer and sometimes again in autumn. Its cup-shaped flowers are a vibrant red-pink with a dark centre, and they open on a cushion of compact, neatly arranged leaves. Plant this small perennial between rocks in a rockery, on slopes, and in poor, well-drained soil. It also thrives in a lovely pot on the terrace!

The perennial Geranium cinereum is a member of the Geraniaceae family. It originates from the grassy and rocky mountain slopes of southern Europe, extending as far as the Balkans. The recently introduced variety 'Jolly Jewel Red Improved' is part of a series of geraniums directly derived from this species, developed in the Netherlands by Marco van Noort. These new varieties stand out for their compact growth and long-lasting, vibrant, unusual, and varied flowering.

'Jolly Jewel Red Improved' is an herbaceous perennial plant with a woody base that forms a cushion 15 cm (6in) tall with a minimum diameter of 20 cm (8in). Its growth is quite rapid, and the plant reaches full development in two or three years. The foliage, more or less evergreen depending on the severity of the winter, is arranged in a rosette. It consists of leaves measuring 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, deeply lobed and divided, dark green with greyish reflections, and quite soft to the touch. Flowering occurs from May-June to September if the soil does not dry out too much, in the form of 3.5 cm (1in) diameter flowers, with open cups. They are a bright magenta red, veined with purple, and the centre is almost black. They are grouped in clusters of 2 or 3, carried above the foliage by 20 cm (8in) stems. This geranium slowly spreads, without ever becoming invasive.  

The perennial Geranium cinereum 'Jolly Jewel Red Improved' will find its place in a rockery, at the forefront of perennial borders, in sunny borders, and in partial shade in the afternoon. It will look stunning in a flowerpot or well-drained planter. It pairs well with plants that have the same needs, such as the perennial Geraniums renardii or dalmaticum, candytuft, limonium, asters dumosus, or whorled coreopsis. It is an ideal perennial for mountain gardens and highly mineral landscapes.