Hardy Geranium
Flower description / bloom time
Rozanne features lavender blue flowers with white centers and dark veins; the round, flat flowers are 1¾ inches in diameter. Rozanne blooms from June through September (and even beyond).
Foliage interest / color and texture
Deeply cut, medium green leaves are typical of hardy geraniums. Foliage did not attract much comment either positive or negative, however, foliage provides a nice backdrop for flowers and does not show any tendencies toward insect or fungal problems. Unlike many members of this genus, there was very little fall color reported.
Habit and growth rate observations
Make room in the garden for Rozanne as its mounding and sprawling habit can easily spread 24 to 30 inches across and reach 15 to 20 inches tall. Very little maintenance is required beyond a little tidying up of the foliage during the summer to keep the plant in bounds. One evaluator describes this vigorous habit as giving a casual flavor to the garden. Rabbits did not appear to favor this plant!
Site preference / soil and light
Rozanne is adaptable but evaluators had the best success in sites with sun to part shade. Protection from late afternoon sun is beneficial while too much shade results in poor flowering and form. Soil should be moist but well draining.
Successes and possible drawbacks—how to overcome them
Across the board our evaluators were impressed with the long period of bloom. You do not have to wait to see results. This plant puts on good growth the first year. A little light trimming in summer may be needed to keep Rozanne in bounds.
Notes from growers / retailers
Liner availability is somewhat limited. Several growers decided to grow this geranium over other geraniums mentioned below because it is more vigorous. Bare root plants potted in April can be ready in mid-May. However, another grower states that it is slow from a 2-inch plug and may need five to six weeks to get to the edge of the pot. All mentioned that pruning is helpful to keep the plant compact.
Best combinations
Rozanne looks sensational paired with yellow flowering perennials such as Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’. Alternatively, you could draw out the lavender tones in Rozanne by planting it with deep purple foliage such as Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’ or a plum-colored coleus.
Parting SHOT”—the overall evaluation results were Good ***
With its long bloom time, good blue flowers, and healthy foliage, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ makes quite a statement in the garden and was rated as Good.
Additional Notes:
•Geranium Rozanne holds up through the season better then ‘Johnson’s Blue’ and ‘Brookside’. Unlike Rozanne, these Geraniums usually need a hard cut back after flowering at the end of June or early July to rejuvenate the foliage.
•The plants we evaluated were originally received as ‘Jolly Bee, a cultivar that has been recently proven through DNA testing to be the same as Rozanne. Subsequently, ‘Jolly Bee’ has been removed from the market. Given that these two cultivars are the same plant, we reassigned our findings on ‘Jolly Bee’ to Rozanne.
Evaluated 2003-2006
