This Purple Perennial Blooms Again And Again — And Grows Beautifully In Pots

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Now that spring is in full swing, it's time to dig out those old planters and start filling them with blooms. While there are fantastic annuals that work well in containers, we're partial to using perennials where we can, since they'll come back for years and make our plant chore list a little smaller. And there are tons of perennials that work well in a container garden, but the one we can't get enough of right now is the 'Rozanne' geranium (Geranium 'Rozanne'), though you might know it as Cranesbill, too.

They're a hardy geranium that blooms prolifically in the fall and spring, giving you one last hurrah before the winter sets in and bouncing right back to greet you when the last frost passes. But we're not the only ones who are fans of this perennial hanging basket-friendly beauty; the Royal Horticultural Society gave it the 2006 Award of Garden Merit, and it was the 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year for the Perennial Plant Association, so you can almost guarantee it's going to be a showstopping purple flower on your patio or porch. All you need to do to ensure it's happy is set it up with the right growing conditions and let it do its thing.

Whether you're growing it as a ground cover or letting its purple blooms dramatically cascade over a pot, you'll need to make sure it has at least six hours of sun to get the full show. Geraniums can grow in partial shade, too, so don't worry if that's all you've got; they just won't bloom quite as much and may get a little leggy since they've got to reach for the sun. However, you may want to give it a little shade from the harsh afternoon sun if you live in a relatively hot climate. 

Hardy geraniums prefer their soil to stay a little on the moist side, so you may want to set up something like the JIYANG Solar Powered Irrigation Kit to help keep the soil from drying out. If you've just gotten yours from the nursery and are growing it for the first time, you should let it settle in for the first six to eight weeks before expecting it to bloom. They won't need much fertilizer as geraniums don't tend to be heavy feeders, but may appreciate a boost when they're ready to start blooming again in the late summer/early fall. Once you've hit the end of the growing season, you may want to give your plant some mulch or straw if it's staying outside over the winter. Rozanne geraniums are hardy to USDA Zone 5, but may appreciate a little more insulation for their roots if they're living in a pot.