Geranium pratense Hocus Pocus

The Perennial Geranium pratense 'Hocus Pocus' is an attractive variety of meadow cranesbill, a recent Dutch creation with dark foliage, characterized by a compact habit, good vigor, and a superb combination of colours between its bronze-purple tinted leaves and its small lavender-purple flowers. The delicacy of its deeply lobed foliage, the purity of its cup-shaped flowers, the beauty of its foliage from spring to autumn, and its ease of cultivation in moist soil make this variety one of the best in its category. It will bloom in summer, in a sunny or partly shaded location.

The Geranium pratense 'Hocus Pocus' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a recent variety derived from the meadow cranesbill, which is naturally distributed over a vast territory, from western Europe to western China. This deciduous and robust species is found in wet meadows, on roadside edges, and in mown meadows. 'Hocus Pocus' has a bushy tufted habit, reaching a height of 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in) and a width of 35 to 45cm (14 to 18in), with rapid growth. It flowers from June to August, at the top of hairy branched stems, ranging in colour from brown to purple. Its flowers, with a diameter of 25 to 30mm (1in), have an intermediate colour between blue and violet, with a white center, and the black anthers in the heart of the flower accentuate their personality. They stand out well from the compound foliage of large polygonal, deeply lobed and toothed leaves, purple and bronze in spring, sometimes chocolate-coloured and then dark green in summer, turning bronze-purple in autumn. They measure 20cm (8in) long and are almost all along the sturdy stems.

Like many other perennial geranium species, Geranium pratense and its varieties perform very well in a nature-friendly garden, requiring little maintenance and care, providing nectar and pollen for numerous insects such as butterflies, bees, bumblebees, etc. 'Hocus Pocus' is an excellent plant for a cottage garden, in a border, along a path, on slopes, in a flower meadow. With its elegant and almost precious appearance, it will also blend well in a well-tended border, alongside columbines, daisies, violets, or pansies. For example, associate it with alpine clematis or 'Hagley Hybrid', with pink flowers, which it accompanies in blooming, with Geum, the acidic foliage of Lime Rickey heucheras, Alchemilla mollis, or with tall pink, white, or even apricot foxgloves.