I assume it made it to NAmerica this past summer. Did any of you try it? If so what were your impressions?

The pic resembles Rozanne which also blooms June until frost. Is it the same plant with a new name?

Interesting....I will see if we have it here yet this summer. I love geraniums.

'Havana Blues' is the first of what I expect to be a few "new & improved" forms with long-blooming blue flowers. True blue, bi-colour and improved habit/form are his objectives. See website below.

In any event I have been told on good authority that "HB" blooms less than "JB" but the flowers are bigger, lighter blue and dark veined. "HB" will reach a height of between 30 cm to 40 cm whereas "JB" is generally (much) taller i.e. 50 to 60 cm.

However, I recall that genetically the plants could not be distinguished from one another. And that was the deciding factor and the JB breeder lost the patent case and a whole lot of money.
So I'm seeking out Havana Blues.

Anyone else likely to try it? Why?

Idabean

I'll be anxous to read about what you who purchase HB think about it at the end of the season.

Linda

Some say spreader some do not say at all but say it is 4' wide. That wide sounds to me as a spreader.

I agree 4 feet would be for all intents and purposes a 'spreader' but according to the developer of Havana Blues:

"It is clump forming, 30 to 40 cm tall".

I have my fingers crossed that it is smaller and more compact than Rozanne/JB.

Why don't they make it easy and say Clump or groundcover. lol

I do not mind sprawling because I love a groundcover that has a long bloom period in the sunny gardens because I do not use mulch and try to find good long blooming groundcovers.

If people are looking for compact I hope it is compact. It does not matter to me I do not mind either way.

I planted 4 very small bare root HB back in late May. It is now in late September that they are each now showing their potential i.e. 'floriferousness' and long duration of flowering.

Not the best quality of picture but it does give you some idea of the good things to come next season.

Won't compare colour of actual flowers with pictures. Also, perception of colour (especially involving small colour gradations) is a subjective thing.

I would feel happier if growers/sellers described colour in some objective way (I guess spectrophotometry is asking too much). But there's more important information that those who purchase plants are not usually given.

Personally, over 4 or 5 years, have found 'Rozanne' to be an exceptionally reliable plant and exceptional for it's very long bloom time. The flopping (mentioned above) is a draw back to my own style of perennial gardening.
I found the old 'Johnson's Blue' easier to stake.

The petals on the 'Rozanne' flowers, in front of me, are wider than those in the picture above and I don't notice the dark ribbing? into the purplish blue outer part of the petals.

Think it will be very interesting to see how many years perennials like 'Rozanne' last in our (various) growing conditions.

Will certainly try 'Havana Blues'!

Well I grow both. (In fact I wonder if there is anyone who has at least one hardy geranium and without one being the ubiquitous "Rozanne"?)

FWIW here is a picture took this afternoon showing an HB bloom on the left and a RZ flower on the right. As 'Sunny' had written it is very hard to judge shades of blue from a picture but it is clear that the veining on a HB flower is much more pronounced than with RZ and the HB flower is larger than those of RZ.

Yup I sheepishly agree.

Earlier this summer I 'bad mouthed' "Rozanne" in some thread...something about it being too sprawly, too messy. But it is late in the summer when I really see its value in my garden. Its blooms now going into October are striking. Here is mine today....blue jewels in an otherwise pretty colourless area of this garden.

Pictures: an excellent comparison.
And I recognize "Rozanne'!

Again, I'm been talked into 'Havana Blue'.
Sounds worth knowing.

I'd read on line, that Gardenweb was a great site for real (=hands-on) gardeners. I'm finding that true!

I'm relatively hostile to those who make perennial gardening look easy, but who don't do (and maybe never did!) it themselves, especially when they have a vested financial interest in "informing!" me.

It's a breath of fresh air to hear from real gardeners, who not only read it, but do it. And this is a great place to read it.

Been putting my gardens pictures, and Merlin's Hollow, on my Buddy Sharon's Blue Garden Cubit and will continue, but I'd really like to put pictures that may be of interest on this Perennial Forum too.

I'm interested particularly in how perennials are put together in beds and how the beds are maintained.

I've only have long-term maintenance contracts on a couple of gardens and there's also our own small garden. I only feel responsible for a garden, if I've been maintaining it over two or three years, or more.

Going to try for a pictures of one of my gardens from last week.

Sunny Border, Nice garden and colors, particularly for this time of the year. What is that tall purple flowering plant next to the window?

Thanks,
Vivian

Is that weeping tree some sort of beech?

I think in terms of flower production and duration of flowering HB shows lots of promise but the verdict is still out re its spread. I am sure it is less than "Rozanne" but the question is how much less. I will know better next season when the 4 will have a full uninterrupted season of growth.

Yes Rouge. I think it's a 'Purple Fountain' weeping beech. I just "do" perennial plants, rather than shrubs and trees, though I've had to take over more and more responsibility for maintaining and replacing shrubs.

The tree above is fine, but, being a sunshine-colour gardener, shade is not my choice.

Sorry to go off topic.

SunnyBorder, it is a big & tall aster. But really nice.

Thanks

Vivian

As an update in 2013,...my 4 HB survived their first winter and I am looking forward to seeing what they do in this their first complete summer in the garden. I am hoping they are (much) less large than Rozanne but still as floriferous. (None of my HB nor my Rozanne are flowering yet...although I see some flower buds on Rozanne).

A close-up of the flower:

Two plants:

AND a single plant:

Although HB are not nearly as compact and neat as I had hoped they are definitely long time bloomers. Here is one today approaching 2 months since the picture above was posted

I just purchased 3 at a seasonal nursery and am debating where to position them. Geraniums so far have proven quite versatile and enjoyable in my garden.

But just like the previous spring they did take their time reappearing (Rozanne poked almost 2 weeks earlier).

Is it easy to find HB in the States?

They have not been easy to find, for me.
Last fall I pre-ordered several through Santa Rosa Gardens but their crop failed over the winter and their plug supplier discontinued carrying them. The only other online supplier I have found is Munchkin but they have it listed out of stock. My nearby town has three decent nurseries, but I have not seen HB at any of them. They seem to carry Rozanne...and Rozanne. :) A local grocery store has a seasonal garden center and today I found a few HB there, much to my surprise.

Now to decide where to put them....The area I was planning on now has fading tulips, so I need to decide if I work the plants in between the tulip foliage of if I just give up on the tulips returning. They were Triumphs, so probably do not have much chance of returning, but i still have a hard time pulling the foliage.