Garden Notes

Rozanne blooming happily at the edge of the garden

I have a lot of different cranesbill or wild geranium plants in my yard but my very favorite is Rozanne. Her blooming starts in early summer, but then Rozanne continues until frost. This may not sound like a big deal, but in August when many of the early perennials are finished and the garden is mostly green, the blue flowers of Rozanne are a welcome sight. Rozanne loves full sun, but if planted in a part shade location, she will still bloom, only sprawl a bit more. This leggy sprawl can easily be trimmed to a more compact shape. One plant can easily reach 1 foot high by 4-5 feet wide.

Rozanne was voted 2008 Perennial of the year, has been an outstanding success across the country and is supposed to be hardy in zones 4-9. I started with one plant a few years ago and was so happy with its performance that I now have several. They are great in front of a perennial border and spread rapidly but are not thuggish. Creeping along the ground and climbing on top of their neighboring plants that have finished blooming Rozanne is great at filling bare spots in the garden. Also of note, Rozanne’s color seems to change with the weather. When it is cool, the color is blue, but hot weather brings out more of her purple. A true multi-purpose perennial, Rozanne mixes well in a border setting and is also great when used as a ground cover. I have Rozanne planted in amended clay soil in several places in the front of my garden and she is doing great everywhere!