(Geranium 'Rozanne' in July with Lobelia foliage.)In this installment of posts where I tell it like it is in my garden, I take on the award-winning and much beloved Geranium 'Rozanne.' Most gardeners are familiar with this plant and have heard the rave reviews it has received for its incredibly long bloom time. Here at Squirrelhaven, 'Rozanne' has lived up to that reputation by blooming continuously from mid-June to mid-November, and it does so in partial shade. So why then, when my mom asked me to get her this plant, did I say no?
It has to do with style, garden style and personal style. My garden is a semi-wild anarchic thing, with plants rambunctiously slugging it out with their neighbors. My mom likes a neat, tidy garden, where things stay where they are planted. 'Rozanne' is not suited for such a garden, because she has a dirty little secret. She's a sprawler.
There's nothing lady-like about 'Rozanne.' She likes to let it all hang out and won't be confined in a tight little bun, much less a corset.
('Rozanne' in September with Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson.')
She also likes to climb.
I swear I didn't stage this photo of 'Rozanne' scaling the Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). It just did this on its own.
Now this growing habit is not necessarily a bad thing. I like the way 'Rozanne' weaves in and out of other plants. It provides for some beautiful effects.
('Rozanne' with Cornus alternifolia 'Stackman' (Golden Shadows).)
Rozanne' is also great for filling in the empty spaces left by spring-blooming bulbs. But it's definitely not for everyone or every garden. I'll be looking into neater growing, long-blooming Geraniums for my mom's garden. But 'Rozanne' is great with me. Maybe it's because we're so much alike.
34 comments:
I tried once again to grow this this year and it died on me once again despite my best efforts to keep it watered. I think it is so pretty.
MMD, I am jumping up and down with excitement that I planted this misbehaving lady in my garden last month! ...She will fit right in! We like sprawl in a garden...(not in our city). Excellent review...telling it like it is is important! Gail
My experience exactly! But I, like you, like how she snakes around and shows up here and there.
I always have mixed feelings about this plant... Sometimes it sprawls to wonderful effect - like in your picture of it scaling the Oakleaf Hydrangea - other times it just looks well, messy! Bit is still grow it in my garden
I like the sprawl. Rozanne fraternizes very nicely with surrounding plants.
I am definitely going to invite Rozanne to come live in my garden. She would fit right in with the rest of the group.
Hmmm, I think I'd like to try 'Rozanne' in my garden, see how she does. I can use a little bit of "messiness".
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
MMd, I sure don't remember seeing this fact in any of the descriptions. I have a couple of live and let live areas where Rozanne would fit right in. I looked at her this year, but the ones I saw were small and unimpressive and decided against her. Now I'll have to rethink my descion. Thanks for the 'truth'.
I love how she slimbed into the hydrangea. So prety together.
Phillip - how odd that you can't get 'Rozanne' to live in your garden. I've even divided one of mine & they just keep surging on.
Gail - I think 'Rozanne' will fit in beautifully with the wild style at Clay & Limestone.
Leslie - your experience with 'Rozanne' in California suggests that sprawling is standard for 'Rozanne.'
Karen - messy it can be, but in my garden it doesn't stand out as anything out of the ordinary.
Gardengirl - I'm glad you appreciate the sprawl.
Lisa - I think you'll like it. And I even forgot to mention how the foliage picks up red tone in autumn.
Carol - if you're trying to break out of the straight line rut, 'Rozanne' is definitely up to the job.
Beckie - don't worry if the plants are small, they grow quickly & bloom from a fairly young age.
Hi MMD, thanks for the straight talk on Ms. Rozanne. I'm surprised Gail didn't call her Roxanne like she said she was going to. My Roz was planted by herself and just laid in bed all day. Gail suggested she needed someone to lean on and she got it in the arborvitae fern, forget the botanical name, so she can climb, a necessity. This is a great idea for people planning next year's garden additions. Thanks.
Frances
Sssh, don't tell anyone, but I've killed 'Rozanne' twice. Yes, twice. She doesn't want to sprawl here. If only I'd known that all she wanted was your beautiful garden, I would have sent her. Here she rotted. Poor girl.~~Dee
So true - what a great description of the growth of this plant! I love it too, but then I love "wild" and jumbled looking gardens :)
If this is the worst to know about Rozanne, I'll take it, with pleasure! My kind of plant.
I like sprawling plants, but then my garden is not a neat garden - it's pretty wild. Rozanne is my kind of plant.
I'm starting up a new meme for Fridays - Blooming Friday - it would be great if you would like to participate with one or two pictures of blooming plants. I thought it would be nice to share eye-candy for the week-end... Welcome!
Katarina
I like plants that don't like corsets either, MMD. I planted my first Rozanne this past spring, but she was quiet tidy and stayed within her bounds. Of course, she's in a small bed with not a lot of room to sprawl; we'll see how she does next year. Mine quit blooming with the first frost, but she is in a very unprotected area, so maybe that's why she didn't bloom quite so long.
MMD, Does she root where she sprawls (and thus create mini-Rozannes)? Or does she start all over in the Spring? I used to have a pink hardy geranium at my other house that had a habit of mounding so high and so far that she smothered surrounding plants (with her loving self). But if Rozanne likes shade, I've a couple of places she might really like to meander! :-)
I've temporarily buried my plant log. In 2007 I planted a little hardy g that was supposed to be more polite. Hopefully it becomes just a little less polite next year! ;-)
I've thought about getting Rozanne but since I have several Johnson Blues, some older cransbills, and one Max Frei, it wasn't a priority. The long bloom time is really appealing. Next year may be the season I get a couple. Her constant growth, which some may find messy, is what allows for constant bloom. Max Frei, on the other hand, remains a perfect little cushion that blooms briefly and neither continues to grow or to bloom. Thanks for your experience with Rozanne.
Marnie
Rozanne sounds like a girl I could love so it's a shame we're not allowed. She'd be way out of her element here. So as usual with such plants, I'll settle for seeing her picture in lovely gardens like yours!
Rozanne and my Claridge Druce sound like two ladies cut from the same cloth - rampant free spirits. Claridge Druce is quite a prolific self-seeder so she ends up spreading her presence all over the yard. She's quite a gal!
I agree. My kind of plant!
love the info about Rozanne, very helpful..
your mom might like biokovo..it is nice and neat. also johnson's blue if you give it a good haircut after it blooms
Rozanne sometimes gives up the ghost in the winter months never to be seen again.
Frances - "Roxanne" brings back great memories. I saw The Police twice in concert. How good of you to provide her with a friend on which to lean.
Dee - I'm sorry 'Rozanne' doesn't want to grow for you. Rotting is never problem here at Squirrelhaven.
Amy - this plant is definitly a boon to us fans of wild gardens.
EAL - as drawbacks go, this one is pretty minor.
Katarina - I might have to go into the archives to come up with a photo of a blooming plant now.
Cindy - I think of it as a consolation prize for having to deal with cold winters.
Hi, Anne Travers! My sister grew Geranium 'Claridge Druce' at her old house. (Actually, I helped her plant it.) It makes a great groundcover if you don't want to grow anything else.
Kathy - so you're another member of the fan club.
Laura - my mom had 'Johnson's Blue,' but it blooms for such a short time in Chicagoland. I also got her G. biokova 'Karmina,' but that didn't bloom long enough for her either. I'm thinking about maybe 'Heidi' or 'Pink Penny.'
Layanee - oh, say it isn't so! Maybe it's the rotting thing again.
Very pretty, it would fit in here for sure!
I've never grown Rozanne before MMD. However I've grown Johnson's Blue with not much success. It lasted a few seasons and I think I lost it to rot over our wet winter. She looks like a beauty to me.
will you let us know what you pick for your mom and how it does? i would love to know if 'Heidi' or 'Pink penny' are compact and long bloomers in our chicago area.
thanks,
laura
My "Alpenglow" has stayed nice and compact with bright fuscia flowers - that might work in your mom's garden. But it doesn't have the long bloom time of Rozanne. Thanks for the info!
Darla - 'Rozanne' is a good color for blending w/ just about anything.
Perennialgardener - I had no idea there was such a problem with rotting with Geraniums. Makes me appreciate my soil a bit more.
Laura - I will be doing an update on the search for a compact-growing, longer blooming Geranium.
Hi, Beth, thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into 'Alpenglow.' It doesn't have to bloom as long as 'Rozanne,' just a couple of months would be sufficient.
I was thinking about giving Rozanne a spot in the garden this year but never got around to it. I might come spring, from your review I take it I'll need a trellis.
TC - a trellis is a bit extreme. It's happy to weave in & out of other plants on its own.
Good to know! Personally I enjoy garden chaos, and have a garden specifically dedicated to rampant wanderers. (Actually, most of the beds turn out that way regardless, but anyway... ;-)
Lisa - I like wanderers, just not rampant ones! I suppose if they're all together, battling it out it works.
I like geraniums and have been looking to learn about more so this is a timely post! Thanks MMD!!
Rosemarie - there are so many wonderful Geraniums for nearly every situation. About the only thing they don't like is winter dampness.
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