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Plants doing better in pot vs. ground- Geranium Rozanne

Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,030
in Plants
Usually I would expect this to be the other way around, especially when we're talking about relatively small pots for a perennial... 

I have 2 geranium rozannes, as you may have guessed, one is in the ground and one is in a pot, both planted within 2/3 months of each other last year.

The one in the pot has flowered profusely since early June and shows no signs of stopping, as well as looking generally more lush. The one in the ground still has a few flowers but has never looked near as good. I'm aware it has a bit of a sprawling habit but it's just much denser foliage in the pot.

Could it be as simple as regular watering and feeding despite being in B&Q MPC? I'd have thought with hardy geraniums still doing decently in dry conditions the one in the ground would still have faired better. 

I also have Johnson's Blue and Ingwersen’s Variety in the ground, usually dry conditions, and these look altogether more healthy. Does Rozanne have a reputation for needing a bit more TLC?

At this rate I'm tempted to dig it up and pot it then replace it with something else in the ground.

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 21,978
    That’s that’s much darker than my Rozanne,  if you think it’s doing better , pot it up.
    mine grows like a weed here in the ground. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 11,195
    That's interesting @Dirty Harry. Apparently Rozanne prefers full sunshine which I didn't know when I planted my first one behind a smallish witchhazel. I've since bought several more, planted in the ground in different parts of the garden which appear to be struggling. It may well be that you water the one in the pot more perhaps. I haven't fed any of mine yet - perhaps I should.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,291
    I have about 15 - 20 in various locations in the garden. The three in pots are doing least well. The ones in slightly shaded locations or scrambling below, around and over other plants are doing best. The circular bed in full sunshine consisting almost solely of Rozanne is looking a little jaded, the foliage especially so, and in previous years that bed has looked lusher. This season’s topsy turvy weather can’t have helped but next spring they’ll get a fertiliser boost.
    Rutland, England
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,727
    Which one is the best for flowering?  My Mrs Kendall Clarke is pathetic and after this summer will be going into the back lane. The wild ones (pink) have done much better.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,221
    Geranium Russell Prichard and Orion have flowered continuously for me. I didn’t even cut them back because of the amount of flowers. They are both in full sun. Azure Rush has done very well, but started flowering slightly later.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,056
    I have two in the ground, one in a few hours of morning sun only, which is massive and doing really well. The other one, in full sun, is a dying, pathetic, struggling little thing. The semi-shaded one still needs a huge amount of water, so since the UK has had some similar heat to me lately, it could just be your one in the ground needs more frequent watering.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,030
    Maybe Rozanne isn't as tough as the other two I have in the ground. I generally make a point not to water the borders.
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