Remember the controversy about geranium Jolly Bee and Rozanne? It has often been speculated whether the 2 plants were identical! Both are found seedlings but Rozanne was introduced some years before Jolly Bee.
When I write geranium - I mean geraniums and NOT pelargoniums which are often confused in North America.
For some years I also had a hard time seeing any difference between G. Jolly Bee and G. Rozanne. But this spring the difference stands out. I moved a Jolly Bee Geranium and divided it into 1 big plant and 3 smaller plants. All 4 plants are doing very well. I could not have done this with G. Rozanne. They are still small plants compared to G. Jolly Bee. So I must conclude that the 2 geraniums are different and that G. Jolly Bee in my opinion is far superior to G. Rozanne.
- G. Jolly Bee is much more vigorous and compact than G. Rozanne
- G. Rozanne is more lanky and has a more trailing growth than G. Jolly Bee
- G. Rozanne has fewer leaves than G. Jolly Bee
- G. Jolly Bee produces more blooms than G. Rozanne
- G. Jolly Bee can be divided more often than G. Rozanne - due to the greater vigor.
I have no doubt anymore - I prefer G. Jolly Bee over G. Rozanne
.JPG)
15 comments:
That is very interesting Niels, I thought they were one and the same, but the difference you point to is important to us as gardeners. One day I will buy Jolly Bee, it would look lovely in my garden. Thank you.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
PS we also call pelargoniums, geraniums in the UK.
Good to know Niels, I have been thinking of getting a Rozanne, but think I will look for Jolly Bee.
That's interesting Niels because I've always heard they were the same too. Jolly Bee is much more difficult to find. Rozanne would be the better choice for trailing amount perennials and Jolly Bee is a denser presence on its own.
Marnie
I had the direct opposite experience. My Jolly Bee is small and my Rozanne is ginormous. This year I couldn't find any Rozanne in the garden centers but found Jolly Bee.
I love seeing your gardens. We have so many plants in common, it's amazing.
I will keep an eye out for Jolly bee for my garden! :)
Beautiful blog~ informative,interesting,& beautiful photos!
Cat
It appears the DNA are the same in these two hardy geraniums, so Rosanne name wins.
Unfortunately the breeder of 'Jolly Bee' has been forced to stop growing and promoting 'Jolly Bee' as of July 1, 2010. http://www.hortweek.com/channel/OrnamentalsProduction/article/997154/Van-Noort-forced-stop-growing-geranium-type-DNA-testing/
Perhaps 'Anonymous' had bought Rozanne perhaps mislabelled and misold as Jolly Bee ..... As the two plants were thought to be the same perhaps the retailer, (or wholesaler), thought that it made no difference ??
I will certainly choose Jolly Bee based on what you have said as I have a 3 acre garden and limited resources so propagation is a must. Maybe the best way to decide is to see if you can find bot plants growing together and make a comparison in the hope that all other factors, growing condition, compost etc have been equal.
Archie (Scotland)
Five years ago we bought sixteen Rozanne plants. They thrived under a young R. Rugosa Wild Edric hedge - taller than the roses in the first year. Then Wild Edric started winning the height stakes. We divided Rozanne into another sixteen plants and put them elsewhere. We then divided again for our local plant sale and have given lots away to friends. So - our Rozanne is great for propagating and when it gets a look in under the hedge it looks great! Maureen (Helensburgh, Scotland.)
Your blog is utterly delightful! It was a great surprise. Do you have a e-mail list to which I may subscribe? Thank you. Carolina Elizabeth
I, too, prefer Jolly Bee over Rozanne any day. The Jolly Bee is more rounded and vigorous. The Rozanne languishes. The blooms are different, and Jolly Bee outperforms in this area as well in size and abundance.
They are for sure both good - and soo beautiful. For your information - there are also some confusion about geranium and pelargonium in Norway :). Hanne
Just stumbled across this post. Jolly bee for me. I am a professional gardener and Jolly Bee is always my first choice whenever I am doing a gardening job for a client and they request roses to be planted. They are also a lot easier to maintain.
oke, I have Rosanne, and not Jolly Bee, but Jolly Bee is nbetter???
Thank you for this information...
But aren't the flowers of Rosanne not bigger?
I resume that the pictur by this post is Jolly Bee? my flowers of Roosanne are bigger...
Sorry for my poor writing English, but I am Dutch..
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