Rozanne in pots...

Janie B

I believe someone on here mentioned they keep their g. Rozannes in pots and somehow clipped their roots to prevent them from getting too thuggish... think it may have been @Marlorena... ? When is the best time to do this... and how much should I take off? I'm guessing I should wait till they're dormant? 

Busy-Lizzie

Are you sure it was roots? You can prune the top growth after the first flowering and again in autumn to keep them neat. They do well in pots if you keep them moist.

Janie B

Found it! On 3/June in the Notes from a Rose Garden thread: 

@Marlorena wrote:

I don't want to interrupt the other rose thread, but I've noticed a mention of Geranium 'Rozanne' with roses... I thought I would show a couple of examples here from my own experience...  it's a plant that is fine in the first year... from then on, depending on your rose, you might have problems...  nowadays I grow it in pots which are root pruned each year.. simple job to do..

Marlorena

@Janie B 
..yes that was me... I have 2 in pots and they do very well... like the hose on them and liquid feed every couple of weeks...

..early Spring, about March time, I empty them out, using spade and secateurs I chop the bottom and sides, reducing by half... prune any thick tap roots at the base right back by half as well... and then repot in fresh... very easy job... top up with some gravel.. the pot I use measures about a foot or so,.. approx. 13'' x 13'' deep..

..another tip for these is if you have a straggly clematis or climbing rose that's gone bare at the base, and you have 5 foot of bare stems showing, placing the potted Rozanne very close to the trunk [it won't harm them and they will still get the rain on the roots]… June is a good time to do this, ...the Geraniuim will then climb 4 or 5 foot up through all the lower canes/stems..  it's quite effective..

...the only drawback, if there is one, is that it sets back the flowering of the potted Rozanne by a couple of weeks, compared to one in the ground...

...late May looking fresh and preparing to bloom...




..I do trim off any straggly bits and faded flowers...

Loxley

What is the aim, to stop them getting too big? If they're getting too large I would divide them in early spring just before they start into leaf. Pull them up, shake off the soil from the fleshy forked roots, and pull the roots apart. You can be brutal. Replant a chunk of it with a bit of root and a growth point. You can plant any left over bits elsewhere. If you can't find a way to divide it I suppose you could just pull away half of the roots to reduce it's vigour.

Marlorena

...they are not the easiest to divide as they form a central stalk... it's tricky but it can be done and yes it's another option to keep them compact...  I just prefer them in pots now...

...for in the ground I like Geranium himalayense 'Gravetye'... it doesn't flower for as long, but I like the foliage better and it looks good even after flowering with a cut back..

Loxley

I found it tricky to divide in previous years so I know what you're talking about, but this year I dug them up and the roots very easily separated... they were sort of winding around each other and each had a bit of crown attached, so a little tug and it all came apart. BTW Rozanne also bounces back looking fresh from a ruthless cutting back, but it will also reflower. This stops that progressively scruffier look that it gets towards the end of the season.

Janie B

Thanks, @Marlorena and @WillDB! 

Braidman

'

Try them in a large hanging basket, that's a show!