My zones not like yours so I hesitate to answer but mine had foliage issues. Not sure if it was my planting conditions or the plant. When my geraniums foliage goes down hill it's usually crown or root rot. But thats just my garden. Good luck with your plant.

I note that you said "had", does that mean you lost your 'Ann Folkard' too? Was overwintering ever an issue?

Almost all of my perennial geraniums look like carp after they are done blooming, so certainly no surprise to me when Ann did it, lol. Maybe that is part of the reason I am starting to become disenchanted with geraniums in general... :-(
CMK

This post was edited by christinmk on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 21:25

she has a rep for being short-lived and maintained her status in my garden. i lost 6 0ver the years. i wont even say "killed" because i don't think i did. she just died.
idabean

-idabean, oh you made me feel so much better! Glad to hear she has a notoriety for being short lived and it wasn't negligence on my part that "did her in", lol.

Wonder if she has fared better for those in a warmer/milder climate??
CMK

I think it's one that probably fares better in warmer zones, I've had mine for many years. My main clump comes up at the base of a Physocarpus (Diablo) in a sink or swim situation and is planted on the edge of a driveway chip path. Even all the rain we get in the winter doesn't seem to bother it. On the other hand I have a hard time keeping 'Rozanne' alive but no trouble with 'Jolley Bee'. I'm sitting on the border of zone 7-8.

Annette

Thanks for your input Annette! Good to rule out lack of vigor as being an issue with this cultivar...

Geez, I've been upgraded to a z6 and still I can't grow a plant supposed to grown in z5. Makes me wonder if plant developers even trial a plant for hardiness before introducing it or simply guess that because the parents were, it should be too.
CMK

I killed it when I turned it into compost. Most geraniums can be cut back and in no time at all you have nice fresh foliage but not that one. Had one with chocolate foliage once. Came up year after year with a small group of leaves which promptly diseased always hung on with one or two leaves just to repeat this again and again, Finally COMPOSTED! I do now have some gorgeous geraniums. So don't give up on them as a whole just Ann. My soil holds moisture yet drains fairly well. So I buy geraniums that fit my conditions and like moist well drained soil. Some don't of course.

-patty, well I have tried nearly 30 different kinds of perennial geraniums over the years. Probably a third of them have met my expectations as far as bloom, habit, overall look and dependability etc. The rest are either plagued by foliar woes like mildew or are ugly (to me anyhoo!). There are only a few I really love or couldn't do without. I'm just ready to move on and find another genus to obsessively-compulsively collect! Hey, that sounds catchy doesn't it Plant OCC. Lol. ;-D

Sorry your Ann turned out to be a such a dud too.
CMK

Obsessive plant collecting that sounds familiar. First obsession roses, the truly disease free roses of course. Very easy to grow and if mail ordered on their own roots. Well, even I couldn't kill them. Next obsession summer blooming clematis. So that whilst the japanese beetles are are eating the roses you'll have pretty blooms with little effort after suppling something for them to grow on. Third obsession daylilies, ones like Going Bananas which bloom a nice soft yellow and continuos bloom once they start. Healthy foliage as well. They grow petty much by them selves.Plant obsessions aaargh! Any way your right about some geraniums. I use geranium Rossanne in back with Clems they hide the bare stems. I see the flowers but the foliage isn't right up front where it might be annoying.

I've been lucky, I guess...mine have done really well. They got really bad rust their 2nd year, and the other poster is right, they don't grow back lushly when cut back hard (well, maybe they do if you give them water and fertilizer at the time...but I didn't). Last year, however, they were fabulous...and HUGE. I think they are really variable, depending on what the weather is like that year. She definitely likes to be well-watered. Stress from drying out seems to trigger rust

Here's one plant to from my garden last summer...Geranium 'Rozanne' is just to the left of 'Ann Folkard'.
{{gwi:197427}}

-patty, lol! Same here. Year 2007 was "The Year of the Tulip" for me!! Never again...

-Scotty, so interesting you also found her rusty. Thought it was just because mine was in too much shade. Thanks for sharing you findings. Ps. love your blog! Go there for picture-pick-me-ups when I'm in a funk ;-)
CMK