Pruning Geraniums

Geraniums are a favorite garden plant that come in a large variety of colors. These plants are well known for their display of fall colors and bloom from May until the first frost. Pruning is necessary to keep geraniums from getting too leggy - long branches with few leaves and flowers, normal pinching back and removal of dead leaves and flowers can work wonders for the geranium

Pruning your geranium plants in January or February - When your plant becomes stringy or misshapen and has long stems with leaves only at the tips then you should consider pruning. Clean out any dead shoots or leaves at this time and 3 months later you will should have beautiful full geraniums!

For those in cold climates, you can overwinter your geraniums and have them for the next year. This can be accomplished by digging the plants up and also with cuttings. Either way, you will need to get geraniums out before the first frost.

If you want to keep your geraniums in a pot for winter, dig them carefully out of the ground and prune back to about half the size. Put them in a cool area but in a sunny window or under artificial plant lights. Occasional pruning by pinching off will help them be full for next year.

To save cuttings, take geranium cuttings of about 4" from the ends of the shoots and dip in rooting hormone. Stick them upright in a peat moss mixed with sand so that they stand on their own. Water thoroughly and place plastic near bright light. When roots start in 8 weeks - plant them in pots. By May you should have some great geraniums to plant in your garden border

You can also save your geraniums by digging them up before the first frost and hanging upside down in a cool dry place over the winter. Soak the geranium roots once a month over the winter - the plants will look quite dead but have faith. In March, prune them back and plant in a pot in soil. The geraniums should be looking quite dandy by the time May planting rolls around.

Saving your geraniums over winter like this can seem like a lot of work, but if you are short on cash in your landscaping budget then this is a great way to get more flowers for nothing. Geraniums can be particularly expensive so it makes sense to put forth the effort to save them for the next year. Plus it can be a rewarding task!

Geraniums are good plants for cottage gardens, borders and containers. They will attract bees and butterflies but are also disease and deer resistant.