How plant grow — a quick note to anchor this piece for readers.
How plant grow: Quick notes
‘Rozanne’ geranium, with its lovely cup-shaped flowers, is a prize for the garden. Related to other wild geranium species, this cultivar is an award-winning addition to cottage gardens, perennial borders, and rock gardens. It’s a wonderful ground cover, filling in areas with ease.
When it comes to caring for your own ‘Rozanne’, know that it’s much like growing your usual wild geranium. As a semi-wild plant, you’ll get a similar growth habit, with annual root reproduction. And fortunately, this geranium isn’t an invasive or aggressive plant.
If you haven’t grown a wild geranium, or cranesbill as they’re commonly called, it’s easy. We detail each of the aspects of cultivating your own below. If you have some space, throw this one in your garden and keep it there for years to come. If you don’t, plant one in a window box or hanging container.
‘Rozanne’ Geranium Overview
Plant Type
Hybrid herbaceous perennial
Species
‘Gerwat’ ROZANNE
Native Area
Garden origin: Somerset, UK
Exposure
Full sun to partial shade
Watering Requirements
Average
Pests & Diseases
Leaf spot, rust
Soil Type
Clay, chalk, loam, sand
What Is It?
The ‘Rozanne’ geranium is a cultivar of wild cranesbills. This hybrid has become a modern classic in cottage-style gardens in recent years, and won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2006. It’s an easy-care perennial that self-replicates and covers ground readily. It’s also very easy to propagate.
Characteristics
The cup-shaped flowers are adorable.
The most standout feature that ‘Rozanne’ brings to the garden is its stunning violet-blue cup-shaped flowers. They can also be white or lavender, but this variation is rare. The plant becomes fairly drought-tolerant once established due to its slightly branching taproots.
Blooms emerge from slender stems that rise from deep green, mounding, clumping, lobed, and palmate leaves, which reach several inches high. The leaf shape is a typical variation of wild geranium leaves. The entire plant tops out at 18 inches and can grow as low as one foot.
The ‘Rozanne’ geranium plant blooms in late spring, and these last through summer in most areas. In mild regions, they will continue to bloom through fall. The flowers attract bees and butterflies. As they are pollinated, the blooms develop into the classic “cranesbill” seed head. These seed out on their own but may be slow to grow from seed.
Native Area
The variety is native to Europe.
This particular variety was sourced from a garden in Somerset, England. It is related to the European and Asian natives. Many hail from the Mediterranean and Caucasus Mountains, which have incidences of volcanic soils and limestone.
It’s suspected that this variety emerged as a cross between Geranium wallichianum ‘Buxtons Variety’ and an unnamed cultivar of Geranium himalayense.
Planting
Like other cranesbills, the ‘Rozanne’ geranium is easy to transplant. This is not a plant we would recommend starting from seed, as it takes a long time, and not all seeds are viable. To start, locate a spot in your garden, or in a container with rich soil and full sun.
Transplanting
Don’t plant on a day that’s too hot, as the roots will struggle to settle in.
‘Rozanne’ is easy to find in big box nurseries. Locate one, and purchase a plant to transplant on a mild spring or fall day. If you can wait to plant yours on a slightly overcast day, that will help your plant settle in more easily. However, it will still be fine to transplant on a sunny day.
Dig a hole as wide as the nursery pot, and just as deep. You can dig your hole and periodically place the container with the plant inside to ensure it’s the right size. Once you’ve made your hole, gently take ‘Rozanne’ out of the pot, and massage the root ball with your hands.
Lower it into the hole of your raised bed, garden bed, or planter, and press it in slightly. Fill in any holes on the sides with the remaining soil from your initial dig. Then water it in. Add more soil where any divots appear after watering.
How to Grow
Once you’ve planted a ‘Rozanne’ geranium, you don’t have to do much else other than water it a bit and check that it has settled in well enough. Here’s what it will need going forward.
Light
Full sun will deliver the most flowers.
This geranium needs full sun to partial shade, with six to eight hours of sunlight per day. In warm areas, partial shade in the harsh afternoon sun will protect the leaves from scorching, but it’s not completely necessary. After it’s established, this plant is fairly heat-tolerant. Plants in full sun bloom more readily than those in shade.
Water
Once established, you can water less frequently.
While an established plant can handle some drought, ‘Rozanne’ geranium plants need moderate moisture to really thrive. In the first year, watering enough to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged is important. After that, you can water less frequently, but deeply with drip irrigation or a soaker hose. Keep plants out of standing water, which can lead to rot.
Soil
The soil should drain well and quickly.
You want a soil that is not too rich, but not infertile. It should be well-drained to support the root system of your geranium and avoid waterlogging that can damage plants. Heavy clay soils should be amended with well-rotted compost, grit, and leaf mold. Add some compost to sandy soils as well.
Temperature and Humidity
High temperatures may limit flowering in summer.
While this is a heat-tolerant variety, consistent temperatures above 90°F (32°C) will hamper flowering. However, in areas with a mild fall, as temperatures lower, flowers will commence again. Cold is no issue for this plant. It is root hardy to -30°F (-34°C).
This cranesbill is hardy and perennializes in zones 5 through 8.
Fertilizing
Use liquid fertilizers to give tired plants a boost.
‘Rozanne’ geranium plants don’t need much feeding. If you want to give yours a boost in spring, fertilize with an organic liquid fish emulsion or kelp fertilizer diluted to half strength. You can also side-dress with compost annually in spring.
Maintenance
Cut floppy plants back to give them better structure.
Deadhead your geraniums if you don’t want the standard cranesbill seed head to form. This isn’t necessary and doesn’t actually promote more blooms, but it will keep ‘Rozanne’ looking tidy. For floppy plants, wait for mid-season, in late spring, and cut them back by ⅓. After the first frost, cut your plants to the ground, and mulch. They should re-emerge in early spring.
Propagation
While there are some reports that you can grow new ‘Rozannes’ from cuttings, these are not common. Instead, wait for mild spring or fall days to divide your plants.
Division
Split larger clumps into several smaller plants.
On this mild day, use a trowel to unearth the entire mound of your ‘Rozanne’. Locate areas where roots intertwine, with accompanying aboveground foliage, and gently separate them. Then plant them in other sunny, rich areas of the garden or in your preferred container. Avoid areas where standing water pools after rain.
Common Problems
There are few problems with this wild plant. It can handle a range of conditions, though it tends to get floppy in too much shade and too much moisture. You can move plants in mild seasons if needed to promote a more upright habit. Other than that, look out for leaf diseases.
Diseases
Leaf spot and rust are common problems to look out for.
The only diseases you should look out for are leaf spot and rust. If you notice yellowing and brown-splotched leaves, you’re dealing with some kind of bacterial or fungal leaf spot. These often emerge when your plant is in conditions that are too wet. Avoid watering overhead to prevent leaf spots, and prune away infected leaves as they crop up.
In areas where geraniums are too close together and haven’t been divided enough, they could develop rust-colored fungal growth. If you divide regularly, you’ll have less of an issue. Prune away damaged areas.
Avoid planting ‘Rozanne’ where standing water exists. If you do, your plant could develop root rot and die. If you notice a general decline of the foliage, yellowing at the base, and a wilted but moist texture to the leaves, unearth the mound and remove any browned roots. Then repot in fresh soil.
Frequently Asked Questions
These plants prefer full sun to partial shade, and may need some afternoon shade in areas with warm summers.
Every year, they reproduce via roots. The spread is vigorous, but not invasive. This is what makes ‘Rozanne’ a good ground cover plant.
Yes, you can cut yours back after the first frost.
The aboveground portion of the plant may disappear in cold regions in winter, but the leaves will regrow in spring.
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