Identify please

linzi64uk

Hi all. Can you please tell me what the two plants are. The lily type plant has flowered this year for the first time, the leaves have come up for the last 4/5 years? (I haven’t got round to changing all pots yet that were in the garden when we moved in) The purple flower, think the hubby planted it last year (but he isn’t very good at keeping the labels, or rembering what a plant is called😣. Thank you in advance

Pete.8

Calla Lily
Hardy Geranium  - possibly Rozanne

linzi64uk

Thanks thanks Pete.8 I thought Calla Lily but wasn’t 100%.Would there be a reason why it took 4 years to actually flower? Is the Geranium a friend or foe? I don’t mind it spreading where it is but would rather it not take over. I’ve had that problem with pot marigolds, it’s took me 4 years to tame them lol. They are now contained in pots & most de-headed before they can self seed everywhere again. 

Busy-Lizzie

Geranium Rozanne is a friend. It flowers for ages and won "plant of the century" at the Chelsea Flower Show 2013. It does sprawl a bit and gets quite big, but it doesn't take over. Doesn't seed itself.

Pete.8

I don't know why your Calla has taken so long.
The only reason I recognised it as I was looking at them in Waitrose last week
I have Rozanne in my garden it's nice but very sprawly.
I only bought it when it won the award mentioned by BL above - I'm not sure the accolade was deserved, but it's a nice plant

KeenOnGreen

Calla’s should ideally be given a weekly liquid feed from Spring to Autumn, to guarantee regular flowering.  The coloured ones are not always hardy, so you are lucky it has survived in the ground.  

linzi64uk

Thanks for the comments. The Calla is in a pot with some rockery type plant/small shrub. Is the calla from a bulb, do they multiply?, could I move to a different pot for next year. 

The Rosanne can stay where it is then, the ground there isn’t brilliant and in front of a Hawthorne hedge. It has fought that horrible sticky weed & bramble that the farmers field kindly donates every year😡…..and won so that’s good enough for me, plus the bees like it.

AnniD

Calla lillies grow from rhizomes,  the coloured ones are very tender and as @KeenOnGreen says you're lucky that it's survived, mine never did !
A bit of info on growing them here 
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/caring-for-calla-lilies/

KeenOnGreen

@linzi64uk If the Calla's have survived in the ground, then you are probably in a part of the country where they are reasonably hardy.  I used to keep ours in the ground, but moved them into pots years ago.  I accidentally left a few in the ground, and they survived, so it is possible in some bits of the UK.  

I prefer to keep them in pots, as I can easily move the pots into our unheated greenhouse in Winter (a shed or garage would also work).  I don't water them at all during the Winter, but very slowly start to add some water to the pots around Feb/Mar, so that the corms don't completely dry out.  I then move the pots outside when the frosts are over.

I believe you can divide the corms to make more plants, worth trying if you want to increase your stock.  Start feeding them every week or fortnight straight away, and keep this going until Summer is over.  This will you to get some flowers next year.

linzi64uk

Thank you all for the advice. Can I ask further advice on the best general feed I can use. I have been using baby bio as a liquid feed but any suggestions will be grateful

Fairygirl

The geranium doesn't really need food, but you can use a sprinkle of a slow release food like Blood Fish & Bone in spring if you like. A layer of compost every now and then is a better way though. Always better just to feed the soil. 
You could use tomato food for the calla, as that promotes flowering.