Things are really quietening down here and there’s a very autumnal feel as the first yellow leaves are starting to appear. But there are still a few flowers in the garden. The plant that really impresses me by still being in flower after months of continuous blooms is Geranium ‘Rozanne’.
There are not very many flowers left on the plant now. But it’s amazing that it has the vigour to keep producing them at all, considering that it has been in flower since early summer. (The earliest photograph of it that I can find in my files was taken on June 10th, but of course, it was probably in flower for a while before that.)
The colour of ‘Rozanne’ can vary between looking very blue or much more violet. I think this may be related to the age of the flower. As you can see in the photo above, the fresh flower at the front is much more blue than the one at the back. The pinker tones seem to creep in as the flower ages and fades. I’ve read the suggestion that the flower colour also varies with the time in the season and temperature. It does make me wonder if bees use the colour change to be able to tell which flowers are newest.
This pretty geranium is one of my favourites in the garden. Like other hardy geraniums, it’s extremely easy to grow here and has managed to cope with the lack of rain well. (I did take care to water it in its first summer, but have rarely done so since.)
The flowers delight me. I love their colour, especially in combination with the pink veins on the petals. The pink is repeated on the filaments of the stamens, and the black of the anthers adds a touch of contrast to the flower. They’re very pleasing to photograph, so it’s fortunate that they are in the garden for such a long time every year!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 