Geranium: Here’s How to Help This Plant Survive Winter

Geranium is a plant that can offer pink, blue, white or even red flowers. Geraniums that can be grown as annual plants belong to the Pelargonium species, while perennial geraniums, which are grown in the garden, are robust and resistant to extreme cold. If you have decided to grow geraniums on your balconies or terraces, keep in mind that these indoor plants have difficulty surviving during the winter. To preserve them and allow them to overwinter, these are our tips.

Appreciated by gardeners, geraniums show beautiful flowering that lasts from May to October and evergreen, decorative foliage. There are many varieties of geraniums that decorate balconies, planters, suspensions or flower beds. But even though they are easy to grow, geraniums have a hard time withstanding winter frosts. In this article we give you our tips for wintering geraniums and protecting them from the first white frosts.

How to store geraniums during winter?

To preserve your geraniums before winter, consider pruning your plants first. Using pruning shears or scissors, cut off wilted flowers and damaged stems. It is necessary to do it before the first frosts appear to protect your plants.

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If your geraniums grew in the ground, do this

Remove the plants from the ground carefully so as not to damage the roots, then cut the branches above the collar. Next, remove wilted flowers and dead leaves before cutting the roots. Then prune the stems back to 10-15 centimeters. From then on, two options are possible:

• You can plant geraniums in planters to keep them protected from the winter cold.
• You can hang geraniums on a tightrope, making sure to provide the plants with optimal conditions to grow.

If your geraniums were grown in a window box or pot, here’s how to protect them

Remove wilted, yellow or dead stems and cut them to 10 to 15 centimeters. This will protect them from frost, but will also eliminate pests and diseased parts of your plants. To avoid any risk of contamination, do not throw these damaged parts into your compost. However, you can take geranium cuttings using healthy stems. This would allow you to grow geraniums during the beautiful season. In good weather, you can place the containers in a place protected from frost and expose them to light and a temperature between 8 and 15°C. Opt for a terrace, a garden shed or a garage with a window. Be sure to remove cups that retain moisture and make sure the area is well ventilated.

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How to maintain geraniums during winter?

During winter, you don’t need to water your plants. In fact, watering geraniums should be avoided, especially during frost periods. However, be careful to prevent the leaves from wilting. Starting at the end of February, you can resume watering little by little.

How to care for geraniums after winter?

From the end of the winter period, when you notice that the vegetation of your geraniums begins to return, you will need to provide them with water and light. You can repot geraniums in a pot and offer them new soil. In early spring, you can place your plants in the shade for a few days, then in partial shade, and finally in the sun to help them adjust to the outside temperatures. Your plants can then be planted outside with a suitable potting soil to prepare them to bloom when warmer weather arrives.