Perennial of the Month-- November 2003 
Perennial of the Month-- November 2003
(ger-aa' nee-um)(pronunciation at link, turn up volume if too low)
Common name: Rozanne Cranesbill, Perennial Geranium
Family: Geraniaceae, Geranium
Height x width: 18" x 18-24"
Growth rate; habit: moderate; young plants low and spreading, second year and after mounded spreading
Foliage: generally circular outline with 5 lobes, 1-2" wide, slightly dark marbled; reddish brown in fall
Flowers: irridescent blue with pink tones, white centers; midsummer and repeating to fall in cool climates, late spring to early summer in hot climates; 2-2½" wide with 5 petals,
Hardiness: USDA zones 3 or 4-8, AHS heat zones 12-2
Soil: moist, organic and well-drained, tolerates some drought (grows larger in moist sites)
Light: sun, tolerates heat
Pests and problems: none serious
Landscape habit, uses: borders, rock garden, groundcover, containers, specimen or massed; good in foreground of roses, filling in between daylilies and taller perennials such as New England asters and garden phlox
Other interest: genus native to Europe and Asia; genus name from Greek word for crane, refering to the resemblance of the beaked fruit to a crane's bill or beak; this a natural hybrid cultivar of G. wallichianum ‘Buxton’s Variety x G. himalayense found in 1989 in the Somerset, England garden of Donald and Rozanne Waterer; a Blooms of Bressingham introduction launched at the 2000 Chelsea flower show; better heat tolerance and larger flowers and longer bloom than similar cultivars such as Buxton's Variety
Other culture: may shear side branches to control spread, or cut back to about 3" high after initial bloom to promote tighter habit and more rebloom in cool climates, may not rebloom in hot climates after cutting back; seldom needs dividing
Propagation: difficult by cuttings, tissue culture; patented so commercially by licensed growers
Sources: Blooms of Bressingham
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