Growing Geranium Rozanne at school to support wildlife

Give pupils first-hand experience of providing food for pollinators and creating a habitat for invertebrates.

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Geranium Rozanne plant
Geranium Rozanne plant

Quick facts

Learning objectives:
  • Geranium Rozanne provides food for pollinating insects
  • Geranium Rozanne provides a micro-habitat for invertebrates
Curriculum links:
  • Science: how animals obtain food from plants, micro-habitats
  • PSHE: how pupils can help look after their environment, how everyday choices can affect the environment

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Providing food for pollinating insects

Pollinating insects, including bees, hoverflies and butterflies, feed on the nectar in the Geranium Rozanne flowers. The nectar gives them the energy they need to fly, mate and lay eggs. Some insects will also feed on the pollen. 

Geranium Rozanne has lots of flowers on each plant, providing plenty of nectar for insects. It also has flowers from early summer through to autumn, so they can feed for a long time.

Why are some insects attracted to the flowers?

Bees can see shades of blue very well, so the flowers’ blue-violet colour is very attractive to them. 

Geranium Rozanne flower showing saucer-like shape
The flowers also have nectar guides; these are stripes on the petals that are more visible in UV light, which bees can see. The nectar guides point towards the centre of the flower where nectar is available, showing bees where to go.

The flowers are an open saucer shape. This makes it easy for pollinating insects to land on them and feed. The flowers are also shallow, making them ideal for short-tongued bees like the early bumblebee, honeybees and solitary bees, as they are able to reach the nectar.

Creating micro-habitats for invertebrates

Geranium Rozanne leaves growing close to the ground
Geranium Rozanne’s leaves grow close to the ground, creating a micro-habitat. This is a small place where invertebrates, such as ground beetles, spiders and woodlice can find some or all of the things they need to survive, including food and shelter. In this micro-habitat, they can rest and look after their young, protected from the weather and hidden from predators.

How to grow Geranium Rozanne at school

Geranium Rozanne is easy to grow and does not need much looking after. It can be planted in full sun or in a partly shaded spot. Water new plants as the weather warms up in spring, and keep watering them through their first spring and summer so they grow strong and healthy.

In winter, the leaves die down to the ground, then in spring they reappear, ready for the plant to grow again, so there’s no need to buy more plants each year.

Reflection questions

  • Have you noticed any micro-habitats at your school?
  • Have you spotted any insects visiting flowers at school? If so, did you notice what colours the flowers were?
Remind pupils to look from a distance and not to touch any insects.

Key words

Invertebrate An animal that doesn’t have a backbone (spine) e.g. insects, spiders or worms.
Mate When a female has partnered with a male to produce young.
Nectar Sweet liquid mainly produced by flowers to attract pollinators.
Pollen Dust-like grains produced by the male part of the flower.

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