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Cheers for the ‘Rozanne’

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By Alma Gaul | Monday, April 21, 2008 11:57 AM CDT | () comments

PHOTOS COURTESY PERENNIAL PLANT ASSOCIATION The perennial "Rozanne" blooms true-blue in the moist, cool climate of England, but it is purplish flower in the Midwest. Buy this Photo

Gardeners who think of geraniums as colorful annuals that last only a season may be puzzled to learn that the 2008 “perennial plant of the year” is the blue-lavender geranium “Rozanne.”

Ah, the sometimes-confusing world of plant nomenclature.

Suffice it to say that the plants we use in pots and window boxes are correctly called zonal geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum) and are indeed annuals, while the hardy geranium, or cranesbill, is a perennial that comes back year after year.

“Rozanne” was discovered in a Somerset, England, garden during 1989, standing out because of its colorful flowers, vigorous foliage, bloom time from late spring to early fall and its fall interest.

Quad-City region reaction to the selection of “Rozanne” by the nonprofit Perennial Plant Association, based in Hilliard, Ohio, was effusive.

“The foliage is wonderful,” said Peggy Burrows of Meyer Landscape & Design in Moline. “It has such wonderful fall color: oranges and reds. That 15-inch mound is real pretty.”

“It’s going to be a good one,” said Ron Dieter of Sunnyfield Greenhouse and Gardens, Galva, Ill.

“It’s an awesome plant,” said Kate Nelson of Wallace’s Garden Center and Greenhouse in Bettendorf.

The top qualities are its long bloom period and color, flowers and leaves alike.

Some perennials such as peonies bloom for only a short time, so gardeners need to add annuals if they want continuous color.

But “Rozanne” is a “best-of-both-worlds” perennial. It has repeat blooms from the end of June to the end of September with no need to deadhead, or remove the spent blossoms, to get it to bloom again, Dieter said.

And the color — while not the “true blue” it exhibits in the cool, moist weather common to England — is still blue-lavender, and that color isn’t always easy to find after spring, Nelson pointed out.

“Rozanne” was introduced at the 2000 Chelsea Flower Show — the grandmother of all flower shows — by Adrian Bloom, the president of Blooms of Bressingham Nursery in Norfolk, England. Bloom is also a prolific author and onetime host of the “Victory Garden” TV series on the Public Broadcasting System.

As with any perennial geranium, “Rozanne” likes moist soil; it does not like to dry out. “And if it likes where it is, it will spread out and climb over low-growing plants, but it won’t smother them,” Dieter said. “Designers like that because they can blend plants together.”

The one caveat is that “Rozanne” is rated as hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 5-8. The Quad-City region generally is regarded 5b with some areas of 4.

“Rozanne” will be available at Quad-City garden centers this spring for about $12 to $16.95, according to a check of several such businesses.

Alma Gaul can be contacted at (563) 383-2324 or agaul@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.