This flower belongs to the perennial Geranium Cranesbill “Azure Rush.” It is the happy outcome of a mistake I made at the nursery. I thought I was buying the cultivar “Rozanne,” which I have grown and loved for years, but when I got the three plants home and looked carefully at the labels, I saw that they were Azure Rush, not Rozanne.

Mildly irritated, I planted them anyway, in partial shade under a shrubby pine. Then I went inside, got on my computer and began to read the accolades. One of the reviews raved about how vigorous this geranium is, and I think so far, that’s true. Just look at one of the plants in the photo above, less than a week after it went in the ground.

Here it is, with some Gaura. Blue Azure was introduced in Germany back in 2007, but it’s new to me. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 8 and grows to about 16 inches tall. From what I have read, it flowers like crazy,  is less inclined to sprawl than Rozanne and has a more tidy, mounded appearance. It grows best in well-drained soil in full sun to part shade, and prefers some shade in the heat of summer. It attracts butterflies and is deer-resistant.

In gardening, some mistakes end up turning out for the best.