Hardy geranium Rozanne
Hardy geranium ‘Rozanne’
* Common name: Hardy geranium (cranesbill) Rozanne(R)
* Botanical name: Geranium x ‘Gerwat’
* What it is: A durable, low perennial with nickel-sized soft-purple flowers. ‘Rozanne’ is an exceptionally long-blooming variety that can flower almost all summer. It may cost a little more than your typical perennial, but it’s worth the extra cash.
* Size: Grows about 18 inches tall and can spread 3 feet wide in a few years.
* Where to use: Excellent as an underplanting for trees or tall shrubs. Does well in full sun or part shade and is fairly forgiving of root competition from nearby woody plants. Also works well as a border edging, along walkways or along house foundations. Very versatile.
* Care: Almost none. Tough in droughts but also takes damp soil, hardly any pest threats, and even rabbits and deer seldom bother perennial geraniums. Give it a good “haircut” if it gets gangly in summer, and it’ll start blooming again in a few weeks. Cut back to 2 or 3 inches at the end of winter. Scatter an organic, granular fertilizer such as Flower Tone or Bulb Tone over the plants right after this cutback, and that’s it for feeding. Plants can be dug and divided every few years in March if they’re spreading too much.
* Great partner: Most any taller woody plant that can use some color around its feet, including trees, flowering shrubs and most any evergreen. This is a hard one to foul up no matter where you put it.
This is the 3rd year for our Rozanne geraniums. We had a wet,cool spring this year. They are in full sun in front of our deck (12 plants). This year a few are much small in size than others. They are not as full as in prior years - a bit gangly for mid June. We are not sure why they don’t look as good as the last two years. We live in northeast Pennsylvania. Any advise is appreciated. Thank you.
Jeannette,
Cold, wet soil can do in Rozanne (and other geraniums, for that matter), but I’ve also found these can go downhill after a few years. Maybe they “burn themselves out” from all of the blooming. Some people have great and growing Rozanne patches for years, but others have told me that they petered out and died after a few years. I’ve lost all seven that I planted about 10 years ago.
Try fertilizing them if you haven’t done that lately. If the soil is really bad or poorly drained, it also might help to dig up the plants, improve the soil with compost, and replant.