Wish your life had a little more carefree beauty? Plant some geraniums, maybe. Geraniums are beautiful and low-maintenance plants that belong in planters, planting beds, and perennial borders.
Geraniums can be divided into two major groups. Zonal, fancy-leaf, ivy, perfumed, and Martha Washington (or regal) varieties of annual geraniums (Pelargonium species), which often only live for a year, are some examples. Perennial geraniums (Geranium species), which bloom continually from spring to summer, combine striking foliage with attractive blooms that emerge intermittently or continuously.
Where to Plant Geraniums
You must be aware of the type of geraniums you have in order to select the ideal planting location. With the exception of the ivy geranium, which thrives in mild shade, most annual geraniums require a location in full sun. On the other hand, depending on the variety, perennial geraniums can grow in either sunlight or shade. In the country’s southern and western regions, both types profit from shielding from the sun during the warmest time of the day.
What Kind of Soil to Use for Geraniums
Geraniums grow best in healthy, well-draining soil, which is ideal for both perennial and annual geraniums. Improve soil drainage and quality when growing geraniums in planting beds by adding 3 inches of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Flowers to the top 6 to 8 inches of native soil. When growing geraniums in pots, Miracle-Gro Potting Mix should be used because it is light and fluffy. For the ideal planting medium, combine garden soil and potting soil in equal portions, or fill raised beds with Miracle-Gro Raised Bed Soil.
How to Plant Geraniums
Starting with young plants, such as the premium geraniums from the Miracle-Gro Brilliant Blooms collection*, is ideal (and simplest). Geraniums, both annual and perennial, benefit from warmth, so postpone planting in the spring until all risk of frost has passed. Once the summer heat subsides in the fall, you can also plant perennial geraniums. Try planting perennial geraniums from late fall to early spring in areas with mild winters.
Geraniums range in height from 4 to 48 inches tall and 6 to 36 inches wide, depending on the variety. For information on the recommended spacing for your type of geranium, consult plant tags. Use a pot that is at least 10 inches across for annual geraniums or at least 12 inches across for perennial geraniums when planting geraniums in pots.
Geraniums should be watered thoroughly after planting, giving the root ball and surrounding soil time to absorb the water.
How to Water Geraniums
Check the soil once a week for annual geraniums, and water when the top inch is dry. During their initial growth season, keep newly planted perennial geraniums in continuously moist soil. With the exception of periods of extreme drought, perennial geraniums can typically thrive on rainfall after they are established.
How to Mulch Geraniums
After planting geraniums, cover the area with a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist and to prevent weed growth and sun exposure. Use Scotts bagged mulch, chopped leaves, pine straw, or another material that is easily obtainable in your area.
How to Feed Geraniums
Your plants receive an excellent starting dosage of nutrients when you start with rich, nutrient-rich soil. However, you should also feed them frequently all season long for maximum results. Apply Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Rose & Bloom Plant Food to your geraniums a month after planting to give them the extra boost of nutrition they require for magnificent blooms. Make sure you adhere to label directions.
How to Grow Perennial Geraniums
Even in the coldest climates, perennial geraniums don’t require particular care to survive the winter. After the initial flower flush, cutting perennial geraniums back by around one-third can encourage more blooms. Cut stems back as necessary if hardy geraniums like “Rozanne” or “Pink Penny” spread out too quickly and widely. These vining geraniums can have up to two-thirds of their length removed, and the plants will still grow back. To encourage new growth and prevent wilted leaves, prune cranesbill geraniums to 2 to 4 inches height after flowering.
How to Use Geraniums
Annual geraniums are excellent at stealing the show in planters and flowerbeds. Regal geraniums can resist cool weather and form lovely hanging basket plants, making them an obvious choice for planting in the early spring. Ivy geraniums are very stunning. Geraniums with aromatic leaves are strong in containers and form a lovely patio display where the leaves may be stroked and enjoyed.
In gardens with some shade, perennial geraniums add much-needed color and can thrive next to mature trees. While mid-size perennial geraniums go well with lanky shrubs, shorter perennial kinds create beautiful ground covers.
Are you prepared to begin cultivating geraniums? To learn more about a product, to buy it online, or to locate a retailer near you, click on any of the product links above.
where to grow geraniums
Geraniums don’t care too much about soil types, preferring it to be moist and well-drained like other plants, but once established, they may live in the rain shadow of buildings, shrubs, or trees.
when to plant geraniums
Geraniums can be planted in the spring, from March to May, to establish themselves before the heat of the summer and provide you with blooms all season. In order to give them time to create a strong root system and begin blooming for you in the spring, you may also plant in the autumn between September and October when the soil is still warm.
What is the ideal location to plant geraniums?
To cultivate geraniums, you don’t have to be an expert gardener. Geraniums don’t require much in the way of particular care and don’t care much for expensive fertilisers or niche soils.
For geraniums, soil
A loose soil with lots of organic materials is ideal for geraniums. Add peat, compost, or perlite if your soil is on the heavier side. Vermiculite and manure are not advised.
Geranium Planting Locations
Nearly all gardening zones are suitable for geranium planting. Even after understanding this, you might still wonder if geraniums require full sun. Geraniums need a lot of light to bloom, although in regions with hot summers, some shade is advised. The answer to the question of how much sunlight geraniums require varies on the particular geranium and your gardening zone. The optimum position has well-draining soil, morning sun, and afternoon shade. Pick a spot that is the right size for your geranium flower beds. The risk of illness is decreased by maintaining the proper distance between plants.
Geranium Planting Season
Planting season shouldn’t be rushed because geraniums aren’t cold resistant. If you hold off too long, though, you run the risk of missing the low nighttime temperatures that promote budding. Planting at the right time is the first step in understanding how to cultivate geraniums outdoors. Wait till your soil reaches 60 degrees F and the threat of the last frost has passed.
Geranium-specific fertiliser
Light fertilising is required for geraniums. If you overfeed them, the blossoms will suffer while the foliage thrives. You don’t need to buy a specialised geranium fertiliser, despite the fact that you may notice it in your local garden centre. Combine 2 teaspoons of a water-soluble 20-20-20 fertiliser with 1 gallon of water for a mild fertilisation. Every three weeks during the growing season, apply this solution.
Geraniums in Containers
You may be wondering how to pot-plant geraniums. Actually, it’s as simple as putting them in the ground. You require a soil that is loose and well-draining, regular watering, and minimal fertilising. As long as the container has drainage holes, geraniums thrive in various sizes and shapes of containers. The secret to growing geraniums in pots is to put them in sunny spots away from windy areas.
Geraniums grown in pots have the extra advantage that you may easily bring them indoors for the winter. Geraniums will flourish as a houseplant even in the coldest months if they are put in a sunny window. After the last frost, gently reintroduce them to the outside in the spring.
giving geraniums water
Take the time to leave an irrigation furrow around each plant to act as a watering reservoir since geraniums require deep, thorough watering. As a result, water can collect and then slowly percolate through the soil. Allow the soil to dry out in between waterings to prevent root rot. Using a soaker hose to water at ground level keeps water off the leaves and guards against illness. Geraniums need to be watered frequently because the soil in pots likes to get heated. You can water plants without waiting for the soil to dry up between applications since the drainage holes assist prevent root rot.
What volume of water do geraniums require? You’ll just need to keep an eye on your plants. Avoid allowing your geraniums to wilt for proper geranium plant care. Poor flower production and leaf shedding occur as a result of withering and revival cycles.
Geranium pruning
Outdoor-planted annual geraniums don’t require pruning, but routine deadheading can help reduce disease and boost growth. After the flowers have faded, simply pinch off the entire flower stalk and pick the plants’ dried leaves. The geranium houseplant frequently develops long, slender legs. Pinching the growth tips on a regular basis will promote branching.
Geranium Common Pests and Diseases
Geraniums are generally free of insects and other pests. Botrytis and other fungus attacks, however, can happen in cooler, rainier climates. Commercial fungicides offer some level of defence. Oedema and root rot are two issues that can result from overwatering.
Hardy Geraniums vs. Pelargoniums
Pelargoniums should not be confused with hardy geraniums. You might be wondering what makes a geranium different from a pelargonium. Similar to some siblings, they are both members of the same plant family, but they could not be more unlike.
Pelargoniums cannot withstand frost, while hardy geraniums can. Pelargoniums are usually treated as annuals and replanted each year, but true hardy geraniums are perennials that grow back every year. Pelargoniums die in the winter.
Prune your Hardy Geraniums
Your sturdy geraniums will look their best and promote new growth if you prune them properly. By correctly pruning your hardy geraniums after the blooming season, you can encourage repeat blooming. The majority of geraniums can be cut back twice in a single season, which allows them to bloom at least three times.
When to Prune
Your hardy geraniums should be pruned in accordance with the season you are in. Rozanne will require various cuts in the spring, summer, and fall. To maintain your blooms rich and healthy, mark your calendar and adhere to our seasonal trimming recommendations.
What tools you need
Your geraniums may be pruned fairly easily. All you’ll need is the ability to prune, a pair of sharp pruners, your favourite mulch, and your favourite gardening gloves. Watch this video to learn more about pruning strategies in detail.
How to prune
You shouldn’t be concerned that pruning your flower’s back will harm her. The majority of hardy geraniums require trimming to promote new growth and prevent them from encroaching upon other plants.
Trim the plant back to within a few inches of the ground or to about an inch above the main stem once the flowering is completed or you find old growth. Remove any brown stems or yellow leaves after that by going inside.
Soon after trimming, more leaves will start to appear. Some resilient geraniums even have the ability to blossom again. Maintaining correct pruning on your plants encourages new development and keeps them from spilling out throughout your landscape.
What pruning advice do you prefer? Share them with us in a comment on our Facebook page!
When may I put my geraniums in the ground?
In the summer, give geraniums plenty of water and deadhead to promote a second rush of blooms.
Annual geraniums are frequently grown, and at the conclusion of the summer, they are composted. Keeping them over the winter is worth considering if you have space and a spot that doesn’t get frosty.
Lift plants that are in garden soil or big pots and place them in a smaller container to overwinter geraniums. Ideally, you should do this before the first frost. Damaged leaves and wilted blooms should be removed. Plants should be pruned back by about a third and placed in a bright, frost-free area. Because the plants won’t completely hibernate, water sparingly all winter long. Apply a general liquid feed in the spring and increase watering. Plant just until all threat of frost has passed, typically starting in late May.
Geraniums can continue to bloom throughout the fall or even into the winter if grown as indoor plants. Indoor geraniums should not be placed near open flames or radiators.
Here, Monty Don demonstrates how to give wintering geraniums a new lease of life by severely pruning them before they begin to grow:
How to propagate geraniums
In the spring, trim fresh growth from plants that overwintered. If you’d like, cuttings can be taken in the late summer.
Cut above the third joint below the developing tip to eliminate cutting material. Pinch out any buds that are producing flowers. Remove all leaves except for the top two with a clean knife. Recut the cutting’s base at the lowest joint.
Compost that has been cut up should be placed in a plastic garden container and compacted. Water the cuttings, then place them about one centimetre into the compost. Place the pots in a well-lit area that is warm but not hot. If you’ve obtained cuttings from many different types, remember to name the pot.
In our No Fuss Guide, Rosie Yeomans demonstrates how to propagate pelargoniums.
Growing geraniums: problem solving
Pelargonium rust can harm zonal geraniums. This is a fungal disease that frequently gets worse in humid summers or after plants have been grown in an area with inadequate ventilation. Brown patches on the underside of leaves are a sure sign of rust. Plants with brown patches should be destroyed.
In this Quick Tips video, we explain if you should water geraniums over the winter:
Geraniums can withstand frost.
Knowing how to overwinter geraniums is very useful for gardeners since it can help them save money and extend the life of particular varieties they enjoy.
Pelargoniums, sometimes known as geraniums, are mainstays of the summer garden. Geraniums are ideal for adding cheer and long-lasting colour to hanging baskets, containers, and borders since they come in a variety of colours and flower continually as long as they are deadheaded.
However, when making your job list, you might consider including them as one of your winter garden ideas.
When growing frost-sensitive plants, planning a winter garden is crucial. Geraniums are perennial plants that put on a long display, but they are frost tender, which means they won’t survive harsh winters. If you are interested in cultivating geraniums, you must learn how to overwinter them.
Geraniums are South African natives that thrive in the heat and can withstand periods of drought with little water.
Pelargoniums, sometimes known as geraniums, may live in USDA zones 7 to temperatures of -12oF (0oC) if they are sheltered. They are hardy in climates between 20oF and 50oF in zones 9 through 12. They need to be sheltered in these conditions because, while they can withstand brief frosts (temperatures slightly below freezing), they cannot withstand prolonged exposure.
The Pelargonium genus contains a wide range of cultivars, all of which are categorised as delicate perennials. According to David Taylor, vice chairman of the UK Pelargonium and Geranium Society, “this means that they are not cold hardy as the majority of the founding species come from the warmer climbs of the Southern Hemisphere.
Perennial plants are able to flourish for a number of years, however in the UK this would mean that they would also need to be sheltered from winter wet and damp in addition to frost.
Geraniums can be cared for like annuals by being dug out in the fall, composted, and then replaced with fresh plants the following year. The appropriate care and attention, however, will enable you to winterise geraniums, keeping them alive throughout the winter so they can bloom once more the following year.
According to David Taylor, vice chairman of the UK Pelargonium and Geranium Society, “Keen enthusiasts keep their pelargoniums in growth during the winter and continue to feed and water but a few key points can be undertaken by anyone to keep your pelargoniums (geraniums) alive throughout the winter” (opens in new tab).
Pelargoniums are known as geraniums, but these plants are not the same as hardy geraniums or cranesbill, which are a different kind of plant and don’t need to be overwintered.