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Plant of the Centenary

Sir TidSir Tid Posts: 12

Vote for Rozanne!!

The RHS are asking us to vote for our plant of the centenary. It's got to be Geranium Rozanne for me.  I have grown it for years and it is a brilliant plant. Flowers all summer, really hardy, great ground cover and lovely blue flowers.

Anyone think otherwise?

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2013/All-Coverage/Articles/Features/Plant-of-the-Centenary

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  • SalinoSalino Posts: 1,609

    ...yes of course it's a great plant, if a bit of a thug when it get's going, it can swamp plants nearby...

    I wouldn't vote for it though due to the controversial legal situation that surrounded it a few years ago, when the breeder of a plant named 'Jolly Bee' was taken to court over plant breeders rights issues by those who bred 'Rozanne' , as Jolly Bee's DNA was found to be ''virtually the same'' as ''Rozanne'' which was bred earlier...'Jolly Bee' had to be withdrawn from sale as a result...

     I have both in my garden and to me they are different plants - growth wise, but the flowers are virtually the same...

    I would vote for Rose 'Bonica'...

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    It would be beyond me a choose a plant of the century. Plant of the week I might manage. This week a tulip 'Ballerina', or maybe it should beTulipa sylvestris

    Can't even do plant of the week can I? sorry.

    I do like all the above mentioned thoughimage



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Sir TidSir Tid Posts: 12

    I see that Geranim  Rozanne has just won an award from the Keukenhoff gardens in Holland, so there are others that like it too!

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,064

    I thought the choice of plants to vote for on the RHS site was pretty poor.  I ended up voting for the rhododendron as its diminutive size made rhodos available for people with small gardens and they do look good all year round.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Sir TidSir Tid Posts: 12

    Good choice obelixx. I agrre that the colours of those rhodos are also something special.

  • Sir TidSir Tid Posts: 12

    I seem to think that Jolly Bee may be same as Rozanne. Does anyone know for sure or have I got it wrong?

  • Sir TidSir Tid Posts: 12

    Sorry Verdun, a bit slow!!!!

  • SalinoSalino Posts: 1,609

    ...those who have both these Geraniums will usually tell you that they are different plants, with some people preferring one over the other, sometimes relating features to Rozanne that others see in Jolly Bee and vice versa..... which might account for different growing conditions, but even when grown side by side, it seems they're not identical... or it could be plants have been reverse labelled...

    I know my Rozanne is the genuine one as it was dug up for me directly from the garden at Blooms of Bressingham - the breeder -  in my presence...  'Jolly Bee' was bought from one of the best nurseries in the country who I would expect to be clear on labelling... and prior to 2010, when selling of Jolly Bee became illegal...

    I shall post photos on this thread as the season progresses of both plants, in case anyone is interested and wants to compare...

    Here is some background to the dispute, as related by a US nurseryman...

    ...''Geranium 'Rozanne' was patented in the US on February 25, 1999. Less than a year later, in January 18, 2000, a similar seedling from Holland's Marco Van Noort hit the market, named Geranium 'Jolly Bee' PP. ...

    All of us who had grown both varieties, agreed that they were extremely similar, but not exactly the same.

    We chose to sell G. 'Rozanne'. Both varieties were issued a US patent, since Van Noort did not include Geranium 'Jolly Bee' as the closest similar variety on his patent application, which he was required to do by law, Blooms of Bressingham, which has the marketing rights to Geranium 'Rozanne' filed a patent infringement suit against Van Noort.

    The bitter dispute lasted over seven years, and Van Noort recently gave up after spending over 200,000 Euros. DNA tests showed that the two varieties were indeed similar, but not the same....''

    it's a pity it came to that I think... like so many others I would like to have seen both plants still for sale, so gardeners everywhere can make up their own minds...

     

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