My Big Fat Geranium Rozanne Obsession

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Yesterday twitter pal Michelle Gervais tweeted a link to her newly updated profile.  While it was interesting to learn the details of her journey from math major to horticulturalist, it wasn’t until I read the last sentence that I really snapped to attention:

“Can anyone help me find the perfect spot for my new Geranium 'Rozanne'?”

What?! Who has just ONE Geranium ‘Rozanne’? Cold hardy, long blooming, tolerant of a range of garden conditions and relentlessly cheerful, this hard working perennial is my go-to problem solver.  Wanting to show Michelle just what she’s missing, I quickly snapped a few shots of Rozanne in my garden

mingling with Amber Carpet Roses,

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Providing cool contrast to Festival Grass Cordyline,

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Tucked demurely next to Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’

 

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And even this little guy, currently recovering from an unfortunate irrigation “incident”.

 

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Gradually it dawned on me...maybe Michelle wasn’t the one with the problem, maybe I was.

I have a plant obsession. 

In a garden the size of a postage stamp, do I really need 13 Geraniums? (Yes, I counted.) While I’m not going to sacrifice any to the compost heap in the immediate future, I am imposing a cooling off period on myself – no new Rozannes may be added until the fall.

So reassure me please, am I alone here? Or do you have a plant obsession to confess?

Comments

[Michelle Gervais]

Ha! I'm just dipping my toe into the 'Rozanne' pool! I'm sure by next year I'll have 6 or 7... My editor, Steve Aitken, and our former web editor, Kate, were the ones who convinced me to try it. They go on and on about that plant! Last November when it came up in a staff meeting, Steve almost jumped out of his seat, saying "it's November, and it's STILL blooming!!" I'm looking forward to it!

You can tell you work for a gardening magazine - who else would have a staff meeting where "plants that bloom in November" is considered a legitimate business discussion?

I haven't tried any in pots yet, as lately all the containers I'm doing (either for me or for clients) are in a ton of shade. While Rozanne can handle this, there aren't many blooms and the plant gets pretty straggly. If you try it in one of your containers, I'd love to see a picture!

[Kat]

You certainly aren't alone. I love chartreuse and have a thing for Sedum Angelina. I use it often when doing containers at work and it's scattered throughout my garden. Of course it doesn't help that broken bits will root where they drop so I'm not entirely to blame.

Hmmm, I'm trying to decide what to put in front of my Phormium Wildwood in a container - Sedum Angelina might be a nice choice. Did you just set me on the road to another plant obsession?

[DaffodilPlanter]

'Rozanne' looks like she's practically perfect--but my mule deer would probably join right in with their own enthusiasm for her.

We've got a big (as in tree) problem going here. Mr. Daffodil Planter and I are card-carrying members of Dogwood Lovers Anonymous, and every part-shade spot in our garden is crammed with the trees. We tried attending meetings, but found they degenerated into debates over the merits of Cornus florida versus Cornus nuttallii. Now it's May so we'll be in the garden with a yard stick, figuring out how we can fit in just one more.... Help!

LOL! As a person whose backyard is only 18' deep yet still contains 7 trees, I'm not really in a position to point any fingers.

[Window On The Prairie]

My mom has the purple crane's bill, but I didn't know it came in blue. Very pretty.

[Rebecca Sweet]

Am I the ONLY ONE ON EARTH who can't grow this one? Every time I've tried, it just sits there and languishes - gets all leggy and only a few blooms.

While Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo', however, is my workhorse - blooming non-stop in the sun OR shade. Unfortunately it's blooms aren't as beautiful as your Rozanne.

Sigh.

I have yet to meet a Peninsula designer who didn't worship Geranium Biokovo. There's something magic in the air in your area that makes this one a stand out.

[Scott Hokunson]

Susan,

You know how I feel!

I recently started looking a few other Geraniums myself, although I just spec'd Rozanne on two projects this week.

Scott

Oh, let me know how any new ones you try work out!

[Laura Livengood Schaub]

Hmmm, I spotted a bunch of Rozanne at Soquel Nursery last week (the only thing better than finding her is finding her wholesale!) I've been using her in client gardens since she first appeared on the scene; I could probably find a place for her if I didn't have so many SALVIAS (that's my obsession!)

Laura, I can't believe you have even one square inch left unplanted in your garden at this point! Although that didn't stop you from puttingan awful lot of plants into your little red wagon at Annie's the other day...

[Kari Lonning]

Rebecca, I don't have enough sun (and good drainage) to grow the cranesbills. I've seen too many Johnson's Blues and Splish Slash get leggy and fade away.

My passion/downfall? Hellebores! (I even set up a teaching thing in Seattle years ago so that I could go visit Heronswood in person!)

I definitely have the shade for Hellebores, but they still don't seem to thrive. They look good for a while but then 1/2 the leaves go brown. One woman's standout plant, another woman's ratty disappointment :-)

[Rob(ourfrenchgarden)]

Hi Susan

Geraniums 'R' Us.

I couldn't find Rozanne over here, but found Jolly Bee which blooms throughout.

I happily deny my geranium addiction, really, there are other plants you know!

That said I thought about this and just cannot get clean. I mean, when I look back, I'm always acquiring a cheeky geranium here and there. I've Psilostemon, Johnson's blue and various Sanguineum planted along the pergola. More recent fixes include Russell Pritchard, Max Frei and Ballerina and all this before I talk openly and frankly about a pending Erodium problem.

It is possible to be happy without geraniums you know, it really is, if only I could just....

You garden is so classic, Geraniums (and roses) just seem to BELONG there!

[Genevieve]

I can't hang with Biokovo. It becomes a total thug in our climate - maybe it's all our rain - it spreads into everything. I have one job where every time we go we have to pull Biokovo sprouts out of the Yaku Rhodie, the Callunas - everything.

Now Rozanne's another matter. Beautiful May through December here. What a plant.

[Genevieve]

Rob, Jolly Bee is nearly identical. Some say it has a slightly smaller habit than Rozanne but I believe it was just renamed from Rozanne so that some unlawful plant seller could sell Rozanne without getting busted for patent violations. Isn't Rozanne under patent, and Jolly Bee not?

I used to like Johnson's Blue but it looks straggly and sharp-toothed next to Rozanne. Ballerina's lovely but a little sensitive sometimes. And Russell has a 2-month summer bloom then seems to think itself done!!

1. Think you're right about the patent thing. 2. Agree about Johnson's Blue which I used before my love affair with Rozanne began. 3. Biokovo is a bit thuggish for me as well, and despite my love of pale pink, I'm just not a fan. But trust me, if you're in the Bay Area and hanging out on the Peninsula DO NOT say this to any designers. Like Rebecca, they all love it there.

I do like Mavis Simpson rather well, though. She's got a vigorous habit, blooms almost as much as Rozanne, and has a pretty pale pink which goes well with lots of plants.

[Catherine]

I now have only one 'Rozanne', the other one didn't survive last winter. I love the combinations you have it in. I seem to go through periods of time when I can't stop myself with plants, last year it was Heucheras.

It didn't come back for you? Mine died all the way to the ground this past winter. I never got around to cutting them, and when they started blooming again in March I just grabbed the dead foliage and yanked.

I'm with you on Heucheras. I just scored some free Plum Puddings that were left over from an installation this morning. Will happily find a home for them this week!

[VW]

Oh, good - I just spent a hefty amount on 5 Rozannes to spread around the front yard and you're helping me feel less guilty about my lack of frugality. You really need plants that spread around the upright ones, especially if they bloom all summer. So I'm with you on Rozanne! I also seem to be going nuts with Walker's Low and 6 Hills Giant catmint, even though WL IS reseeding itself despite claims that it's sterile in some catalogs. And I just ordered 6 more peonies. I'm completely nuts this year on all sorts of plants.

They are kind of pricey, I assume because they're patented. I'm paying $5.95 for a one gallon wholesale, which is expensive for a fast growing sun perennial. Also love N. Walker's Low. Mine isn't reseeding exactly, but it is spreading quite a bit more than I think it should. Rozanne is very well behaved, so I think she's a particularly good choice for a front yard garden. She'll look great with your pinky-peach daylilies!

[Jenn]

That's not an obsession. That's what you call a 'unifying element'.

There. You're welcome!