News Room

News Releases | Events | In the News | Fact Sheet | Image Library

Media Contact: Christine Kelleher
800-232-9557   ckelleher@bloomsofbressingham.com

The Geranium of the Millennium
by Adrian Bloom

Hardy Geraniums are all the rage among gardeners and plants people in Europe and North America, and have been for a few years now. So much so in fact that in Britain the number of varieties in cultivation has increased from around 50 in 1975 to over 500 today! Many Geraniums (not to be confused by the colorful South African origin Pelargoniums which are not hardy) are quite promiscuous in hybridizing themselves which has led to an over abundance of inferior selections. It has, quite understandably, become almost impossible for the average gardener in Europe or North America to choose which Geraniums are the best for their garden, given the wide climatic variances and multitude of varieties. Enter Geranium 'Rozanne'.

Around 1989, in the garden of Donald and Rozanne Waterer called Crooked Acre in the sleepy village of Kilve, Somerset, England the bees had had an enjoyable summer. In their quest for pollen they had inadvertently crossed two blue hardy Geraniums, one G. himalayense, normally flowering in early June with G. wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety', which usually starts in late July or August. Rozanne, a keen gardener like her husband, collected seeds from both plants and potted up the resultant seedlings. One of those exhibited stronger growth, larger leaves and flowers similar to 'Buxton's Variety' but twice as large. The next year the plant now established in the ground in Crooked Acre flowered non-stop from June until the first hard frosts in November! Being plants people, the Waterers were becoming increasingly excited, sought the advice of Geranium experts, including Graham Stuart Thomas who recommended they contact me to see if Blooms of Bressingham would handle this marvelous new plant to be named after Rozanne herself.

To cut a long story short, 'Rozanne' not only performed magnificently at Bressingham, but also in trials in Europe and North America. 'Rozanne' began to show its versatility to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, doing as well in Alberta, Canada as in Atlanta, Georgia. The demand was obviously going to be great for this sun-loving plant, but propagation was initially difficult and eventually micro propagation was the only solution to building up sufficient quantities to meet the demand. 'Rozanne' was launched at the R.H.S. Chelsea Flower Show in 2000 where I created a "river" overflowing a well cascading into the garden. The same year the first plants were introduced on a selective basis in North America; and now five years later, this "new" Geranium is proving itself as an indispensable plant to keen gardeners and landscapers in the U.S.A. and Canada. Highly respected New York garden designer Lynden Miller is using 3,000 plants of 'Rozanne' in a new project and said to me when I was there last fall, "There is no garden that cannot be improved by planting Geranium 'Rozanne'." High praise indeed.

'Rozanne' can be used in a container for the patio, or even in a window box or hanging basket. In the garden, plant in full sun to part shade; in hotter climates half shade is preferable and although it likes good drainage, mixing in well-rotted compost or organic material will help 'Rozanne' retain vigor and flowering. Watering in drought conditions will of course be beneficial too. Should plants become ragged from heat or moisture stress in August, shear old foliage back to three inches above ground to rejuvenate growth for a long fall of color. One plant will cover a square yard after two years but denser planting will have a more immediate effect. Plants usually live a long time and are not easy to divide. USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 (AHS Heat zones 12 to 2) indicate 'Rozanne's' versatility.

For more information, contact Christine Kelleher, ckelleher@bloomsofbressingham.com or Gary Doerr, grdoerr@bloomsofbressingham.com.