Geranium wallichianum Censation Daily Blue

The Censation Daily Blue Perennial Geranium is a recent Dutch creation, destined for a bright future. On a low and bushy vegetation, a multitude of flowers bloom in cups of light blue-violet with a blue center, from spring until the first frosts. Flowering will also rest at the end of the season, on its often beautifully colored foliage. It makes a delightful ground cover, in full sun or partial shade. Hardy, floriferous and tolerant, it only fears waterlogged soils in winter.

The Geranium wallichianum 'Daily Blue' belongs to the Geraniaceae family. It is a recent selection from the Netherlands, derived from a wild Himalayan species, from Afghanistan to India. In nature, this geranium grows up to about 3600 m (11811ft) in altitude, on slopes, in forests and among shrubbery. 'Daily Blue' has a low, dense and wide dome-shaped habit, reaching about 25-30 cm (10-12in) in height, with a spread of at least 40 cm (16in), sometimes even more depending on the conditions. This geranium has a particularly 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 luminous hue, a soft and vibrant blue, with light violet veins that dive towards a very pale center. The foliage is deciduous in winter, finely cut and dissected, with a medium green colour that sometimes turns red in autumn. The leaves are deeply lobed, puckered, with serrated edges. This perennial sends out highly branched creeping stems from its stump, which lie lightly on the ground and do not root. It has a fairly specific root system, with a central and single stump (taproot), with a few large fibrous secondary roots.

The 'Daily Blue' Perennial Geranium is ideal for bordering paths or flower beds. In semi-shaded areas, it will thrive alongside 'Burghaltii' Campanula and 'Diane Claire' Pulmonaria with their beautiful silver foliage. It can also be planted on top of a wall, in a semi-shaded rockery where it will lean against it, with its base in the shade and its head in the sun, among Corydalis, Chiastophyllum oppositifolium or Chrysogonum virginianum. It likes to creep under low branches of shrubs, where it is never suffocating, except for weeds.