"Rosanne" Geranium doesn't bloom

by Robert
(Bellevue, WA)

Hello,

My hardy Geraniums Rosanne won't bloom. They are in moist, hopefully rich soil in a dappled shade environment. Zone 8 (Bellevue, Washington. West of the Cascades).

They are green and healthy, about 15" across, although one has developed a yellow leaf.

Should I just hit them with a "bloom-buster" fertilizer or are there better solutions? How often should I fertilize them (and the rest of my shady garden)? What kind of fertilizing regime do you recommend?

Thanks for your help.

Robert

Doug says that if this plant is not blooming, then we have some "issues" :-) It's one of the heaviest bloomers in my garden so...

Feeding - don't. Feeding can produce an excess of foliage at the expense of flower production. It really isn't a big feeder so relax on that score.

Light levels - hmm, I tend to grow mine in full sun or *very* light shade and have found when you move them to a shadier area, they're really not all that happy about it. This is one of those cases where the plant will "survive" in a lower light area but not necessarily "thrive" in a low light area.

So - if this were my plant and it doesn't flower this year (always assuming it was planted last year) then I'd be moving it to a slightly sunnier area this fall or next spring. If it's an older plant in its 3rd season, I'd consider moving it this spring if it's not too far advanced or certainly this fall.

But do lay off the feeding and watering - treat it a tad roughly.

Good luck with it.