I am a huge fan of Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Here’s a plant that’s gotten tons of press in the last few years (tons of press for a plant at least!), winning all kinds of plant-y awards and generally being the plant world’s Paris Hilton. Except ‘Rozanne’? She actually deserves the attention.
She blooms gorgeously from her first few stalks in spring, keeping it going with increasing intensity until the nights get really cold in winter. Even in December, she’s still putting out new foliage and blossoms around the masses of old foliage left!
‘Rozanne’ gets on famously with any number of plants – she can hide the gawky bases of roses, or you make the most of her white flower center by partnering her with the white-flowered Philadelphus x ‘Snowbelle’. You can also highlight the blue by contrasting it with bright golden foliage like Golden Sweet Flag Grass, an evergreen favorite of mine.
In the fall, a little touchup keeps your ‘Rozanne’ fresh until winter dormancy takes over.
Check out this video on how to prune your Hardy Geraniums:
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please tell me what to do with my rozannes – i planted a ton of them and they are all lying down on the ground – really leggy – and its only july 4th – should i prune them even though they are blooming beautifully? i hate the way they look lying down like that – it is ugly
Are they getting enough sunshine and water, Kim? Either problem would account for legginess. Or if they’re new, that would account for it too – give them a full year to settle into a finer habit.
Until then, yes, head back each leggy stem by 1/3 or half, cutting to a point where there’s a leaf or side shoot. If you need to, don’t be shy about removing some stems entirely by cutting them out at the base of the plant.
Rozanne’s not going to be offended by too much pruning, it’s just a matter of doing so in a way that doesn’t make her look terrible after, so don’t just take the shears to her – prune her with your hand pruners. But she’ll recover quickly from pruning as long as you prune to a side shoot or leaf and don’t just leave bare stems sticking up. You get get a lot of legginess taken care of this way and encourage a bushier habit for the rest of the year.
I too love geraniums and ran across your blog on a search through my site. Beautiful layout and I love the header. I use the video too
Oh my god, they ultimately get 4 – 5′ around? I haven’t had any move out over the 2′ mark. I’m hoping they’re just really, really happy where you garden or I’ve done some SERIOUS overplanting…
Susan Morrison´s last article ..Garden Up! Progress Report
Hi …
One of my customers has “rozannes” across the front of their house … beautiful ! It’s near winter now .. do I trim them off at ground level or leave some stems showing ?
Thanks for your time !
John, the plants should “show” you what to do. Do they have a tuft of beautiful fresh growth that you can cut back to? Or is the whole thing looking crappy? Let the plants’ growth decide your course of action. At some point in winter they do usually die back fully and I do cut them at ground level.
Thanks ! The growth this year was extremely full and spreading everywhere .. climbing fences .. spreading to other plantings .. out of control … but IMO really beautiful. I’ll trim them back to ground level after they die off (I forgot to mention the home is near Rochester, NY. so winters are quite extreme) .. Please-another quick question: Can I take cuttings for transplant or dig into the root and not hurt the plant ?
Hi John, I am pretty sure you can divide hardy cranesbills easily once they’re well-established. I am not sure of the legality of doing so with Rozanne, as it is still under patent. You might look into the laws about that – maybe you can propagate them for your own home use but not sell them? I’m not sure.
Hello! I’ve been reading the conversation(s) about Rozanne (so beautiful eh?). I have my first year Rozanne in a large pot and she has done super well. My question is, can she stay in the pot in the yard all winter (Michigan zone 5), or should I move the pot to the garage? Or, can I dig her up and store her in the garage or basement? Please advise… Thanks!
Brenda, I think she’s only hardy to zone 5 (not sure – I garden in zone 9?) so if that’s the case, definitely take her inside if she’s in a pot. A pot doesn’t protect the roots from cold very well.
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