I overwinter my geraniums every year by bringing them inside, giving them a 'haircut', putting them in a bright window, adding some grow lights and continue to enjoy the blooms all winter. Both my mom and my grandmother did this. In fact, I have a few geranium plants that are at least 25 years old. Personally, I haven't bought a new geranium in at least 10 years. I take all the cuttings and root them in my kitchen window in bottles of water...friends love in the spring when I have geraniums for their gardens too!
I’m in NYC, my planter lasted until I was putting up my Christmas wreath in the window with the planter. I decided since it was December already I would bring it inside for a few months in my front hall because I leave a flourescent light on a lot in the winter, the plant had flowers all winter and is doing great again, when the flowers die back now when I dead head them I also remove some leaves if it’s bushy add a little fertilizer and I’ve never had so many blooms. It’s coming in a again this winter.
This lovely lady takes the time to give out interesting and informative care of geraniums, and a few of those commenting are bothered by her using "ummm" too many times. Oh Please ... Stop with the snobby condescending remarks. Certainly not necessary, and says more about you, not her.
I live in Calgary in a house. We do not have a place without heat other than out side which freezes (Like most people here). I have brought geraniums in for the winter to grow and they flower all winter. I have had plants 10 years. The only reason I quit was lack of room. I kept growing them for sentimental reasons - my dad (who passed on) grew the original plants.❤
I'll try this! Nothing to lose. I have the prettiest geranium plant growing right now, but we're getting near frosty season so I'll have to save it or lose it.
I did it. I did all of this instructions carefully. They are dead. So take them inside the house , next to a window And love it . I have a few for years and years. In Canada. Yes.
Canada. My neighbour winterized her geraniums! I never knew what she did (passed away). Glad I watched you, so now I know what to do with my one plant.
@@mariankeller5852 she said to check on them once a month to make sure they’re not too dry or moldy. Maybe that’s why mine didn’t make it either. Will try again this month.
Mine died last winter too, exception cold spell killed them. Replaced them but they were poor quality bought from SOF and one other store,so will bring mine in this year ,just two survived that I had in the house last year.
Thank you, my two beautiful ones are tucked away now. I am 63 and this summer, I had the two most beautiful plants I have ever grown in my whole life. It will be wonderful to have them back next summer.
my Mom saved her’s for over 10 yrs. the main stem was like a tree stalk, amassing! you saved me i kept thinking i had to bring the pots in, paper bag is great❤️
Dry rooting was something I tried last year for the first time here in southern Ontario . One large geranium I've had for 7 years now has been overwintered in house by cutting back severely at frost time , spraying for bugs and brought in to sit in a sunny window - this year green and full and blooming in January . More geraniums were over wintered by dry rooting last year b/c there simply aren't enough sunny windows to sit in in my house . Luckily 100 % success with it first time .
I've been doing this exact same thing for years. I learned how from my parents and grandparents, and it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to have larger plants year after year and more free plants if you break off pieces from your geraniums and just stick them into the soil.
I was asking about winterizing, not propagating. - what this video is about. Not sure if my comment came up as a response to you or not. Not what I intended.
I have had success overwintering geraniums for many years in growing zone 3 which entails quite a long period of dormancy before the temperatures in the springtime are warm enough for replanting. I remove my geraniums from their paper bags and soak the roots in water in five gallon buckets for an hour or two every two or three weeks over the course of the winter mindful that the plants will be dormant for several months. I have a small tarp that I place on the basement floor in anticipation that leaves with drop from the plants as they are moved from bag to bucket and back, then its a simple matter of taking the tarp outside to dispose of the leaves. It is quite a bit of work but the reward comes when the plants come back to life when planted in the spring. I am able to get grocery store sized paper bags from a local grocer but am envious of the wonderful large bags that you have in your video.
Great suggestions! Thank you for sharing them. The large bags can be found in hardware stores. They are sold as lawn cutting and leaf removal bags. They are great to have on hand.
I do a deck full of large container plantings. In the fall I leave New England for 6 months, except for one week in Dec, and all I do is put the pots in the attached garage or in the cooler/darker part of the basement. That's actually how I found out they would come back! I also have a rose that I had intended to plant in the garden in Sept. but didn't get to it. Used a hand truck to get the pot into the basement. Came back in the spring and the plant had died back but sprouted 2 or 3 long, spindly stems. I gave it a shot at growing, putting back on the deck and watering it. By end of July it was twice as big as it had been and was covered in roses! Same thing with a mandevilla plant, 3X as big! Anything is worth a try over just throwing it out.I did give them one light watering in Dec....I think. Also did the same with the Elephant Ear and Canna pots. Made the mistake of watering them twice and a couple rotted. And 3 large perennial grasses also came back over a foot taller this summer. You do have to for sure feed the plants next summer though if you don't repot since the soil is exhausted. Wish I could post photos. Cheers!
Thank you for this video, I bought quite a few Geraniums at the beginning of summer that are still flowering now here in the UK and Its good to know I dont have to pay to replace them all again next summer. Off to watch your "Replant Overwintered Geraniums" now :)
Great video. I have winterized 3 of mine for about 10 years in pots and I keep them in our garage and give them a tiny bit of water (1/4 cup or so) on the first of the month until March. I have put some dry in boxes and have had a few die. I think one was an ivy geranium so I guess that's why... Mine grow under the eaves on the patio so they are still in bloom, but the others have to be pulled out and go away now. I'm in Z7b or so up here in Vancouver,BC. I always like to see how others do this. I think I'll try the paper bag instead of my boxes. Some say trim them a bit smaller beforehand. I'm pleasantly surprised the green leaves don't cause any problems. My three in a pot are huge - as big as a little hydrangea almost! Thanks for the video.
I have been doing this for years, so glad to see others encouraged to do the same but where I live, I wouldn't be able to plant them outside until June. I put them in pots around February or March and by the time it warms up, I put them outside, bring in if risk of frost. I think some of mine are at least 8 years old. Thank you for this video, even though I am just seeing it almost 2 years later! 😊
Linda you must live in a colder place like myself. Do you use the method of cutting geraniums back and then putting in a paper bag like she described? Where do you put the bag? Do you have a cool cellar? Thanks
@@chomperthefirst533 I put them in a paper bag in the dark, which is under my stairs, and yes it is cooler. In the past, I have just put them in a card board box. I do not cut them back, except for flowers, just bang as much dirt as I can, and cut off the flowers that are coming out, etc.
Hi! I really enjoyed your explanation about the geraniums overwintering. I didn’t know that I could have them back. I saw a video yesterday but way complicated 😅. Now I know that won’t have toby geranium next year. Thank you and God bless you and your family ❤
Good idea to keep the plans and let them rest through the winter! It looks like the strong smell of geraniums keeps wasps away too. Thanks for the tip of planting bulbs into the empty pots !
I have a green house where I overwinter the pots of geraniums. I just give them a drastic hair cut and by spring they are bushy and blooming. I have some that are 10 years old and huge! One year I took each one out of it's pot and cut back the roots then repotted. They did great.
Like you I give mine a haircut when I bring them in but instead of a greenhouse I put them on a counter in a south facing window in a sun room. Mine usually can get to 6 feet tall most summers. We are in the western Washington state. :)
I have always just put them in the basement in the late fall pot and all. Have had good luck. Not easy to do if potted in very large pots, however. Thanks for the great video.
I had no idea that you can do it this way! I either overwintered in pots in the shed (which takes up too much room) or took cuttings and overwintered in a propagator. I’m so excited at the prospect of keeping all my geraniums without any of the hassle- great video Thanks Jenny
Thank you for this! I too am from California, and used to grow citronella geranium as tall as my house. Moving here, NEPA, I have to learn new things. I’ve always cut them back and placed them in my basement in the same pots. But now I know how to do this properly, because of you, I’ll have more success.
Wonderful! It is quite an adjustment from an area where geraniums can be left outside to grow and thrive to an area where they need to be over-wintered, but over-wintering is pretty easy and oh so satisfying.
Thank you! Great video! I never knew you could store geraniums. For the last 5 years I've been wintering them over but, honestly, it's a chore to keep them watered and going through the winter. Plus, at this point, they have become rather large (despite taking cuttings, though probably not enough) and now, learning this method, I'm thinking of winterizing them this year and taking a lot of cuttings next spring-- well, once they are established again. I also like the idea of putting bulbs in the pots and leaving them out. All good information.
I have grown geraniums from seed for the last 2 years. They do great, grow huge. Hubby brought in one last year, over wintered it in a bright window but it was a little slow taking off when back outside but eventually took off just fine. I am in central Alberta.
I just started geraniums from seed though they're not big enough to bloom yet. I read that the ones from seed are more disease resistant than from cuttings.
Thank you so much! Great complete instructions. For the first time, I won’t leave my geraniums outside just to wilt & fadeaway and buy new ones during summer. Will cross my fingers and hopefully it will be a success for next year. Thank you once again❤️
Last year my mom did the same thing and almost forgot about them. I think she thought they were dead. She tossed them on top of the dirt in the old pot and they took off without any help! Things just want to grow. Thanks for the demo! Great! I have one thats going into year 4. This one I just brought inside and left her in a pot. By late winter she was blooming inside so had a great start for 2022 and did very well in her summer pot! She has gotten quite large so now I have about 8 more I will overwinter your way. Cant wait!
You reminded me of a story... : ) In 1979 I was heading out to boot camp and was cleaning out my room. I found a bunch of old Pot seeds, I just tossed them into my Mom's house plants and off I went to Parris Island. Thirteen weeks later, I come home and these things just took off... Mom thought they were non bearing Tomato plants, she couldn't figure out where they came from. lol... I got rid of them as soon as I could and never said a word. Now, I'm growing Geraniums... Thanx for the smile.
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this video. I inherited many geraniums from my mom this year and was worried about overwintering since I lost access to her greenhouse. My garage is small and dark and I don't have an option for putting the pots in there. I'll give this method a try.
Thanks again (I left an initial thank you last year before trying this method because your tutorial was easy to understand and I hadn't been aware I could do this and was eager to try it out....). This last autumn, I put six in dry storage for the first time ( I didn't have the nerve to do more in that initial run) and they all over wintered! Your instructions are easy to follow. All the best.
That was a great video, thank you very much! I've overwintered geraniums for several years but always lugging all the whole pots down to my cool basement for the winter. I wanted to learn about the bare root method, and I really liked all your explanations and demonstrations. Thanks again!
@@pozzee2809 in a pot they will need watered. Depending on how much light they get they will become leggy and pale and weak. That's what mine do in the PNW. I'm going to try this method this year. It seems so much easier. 🙂
Mine were free😃! Hubby brought me 3 geraniums someone had thrown away late June no leaves/flowers. Hubby brought them for 'the pots' he thought they were dead, I saw them I could tell the stems still had some life. All were dry as a bone, I watered with fish emulsion {full of nitrogen}. Saw tiny leaves in less than a week, now more than a month later they have big beautiful leaves & flowers! Two reds, and a pink. Never owned geraniums before, will try your overwintering method in fall! Thanks!
Hello! I have watched quite many videos about winterizing the geraniums, and your is by far the most informative! And beautiful suggestion about tulips. Thank you!!
I did this with success. It was my 2nd time to try to overwinter geraniums, but this tutorial helped me get it right. The geranium did so lovely this summer. I just pulled it yesterday and will overwinter using the same process. It's very rewarding that this works! Thank you for a very helpful tutorial that actually works.
Hello I just come a cross your great vidéo. I leaving in Belgium and I have never store my geraniums in winter.I will follow your recommandations and hope inspring my geraniums will be fine and beautiful. Thank you for this video.
First time I tried, I wasn't sure if it would actually work. But wow! It sure does. So satisfying to "wake up" the geraniums in Spring and watch them come back to life and bloom all Summer!
Loved your video. I am trying this for the first year and I will keep you posted on the results. Excited to try this after seeing and being informed about the results. Thank you! Happy Gardening!
Thank you so so much for such an informative simple and easy to follow video. I have four beautiful giant geraniums in a big pot that was breaking my heart to toss. I had no idea I could keep them! Yayyyy!!! Looking forward to following all your videos 😊
I have one geranium plant that I have winterized for 12 years now in upstate New York. I bring the plant in before the first frost and it sits in a child size wagon along with some herbs and Peace Lilies in front of a door that gets sun part of the day. It will drop leaves at some point, not to worry. I prune back leggy stems and come spring I add plant fertilizer and it goes back out when the night temps remain above freezing and it takes off. Easy peasy. I add holiday decorations to the plants in the wagon and it makes for a festive addition to my room.
@@cb7457 yes I do water them. When the potting soil is dry and the leaves droop a little bit then I give it a good soaking of water until extra water pours out from the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. I do not fertilize them until spring though (I use the small packets of Miracle Grow fertilizer for watering cans ) and then when the weather starts to warm up in early May when trees begin to bud, then I give them fertilizer to help them grow lots of new leaves and flower buds. During winter they lose lots of leaves but that’s fine,they grow new ones in spring and that is when I trim out dead stems. Be careful to limit their time outside in sunshine in spring as they can get easily scorched since they have been inside all winter. I bring them outside for a couple hours each warm day but place them in shade for the first few weeks of getting them used to being outdoors again. Also, not all plants dry out as fast as others, some stay moist for a few weeks so check the soil before watering so you don’t over water. The geraniums want water more often than some of my other plants and the cactus plants such as the Christmas cactus are only watered once a month or so even though their soil is dry. It’s a live and learn thing. If you see some mushy back rot type areas at the base of some leaves or stems then you are watering them too often.
I enjoyed your tutorial. This will be my first year trying to save my geraniums. I had no idea this could even be done. I appreciate your style of teaching. 6B
I just bagged my geraniums. The pink ones were spectacular this year so I’m excited to give this a try and looking forward to seeing how they do next season !
Wow, I was just thinking, how to winterize my geraniums and if it's possible. Just now I happened to find your video. Thanks so much. Hello from the north of Germany.
Last year I just threw them into a large trash can and brought them into the garage done! In the spring take them out and rejuvenate the ones that look good and throw out the one that didn't do well.
Very nice show, here in Florida I put my geraniums out in the winter months and cut them back before bringing them in for the summer, am originally from Maine so this is backwards from what I'm used to
Love this! I never even thought I could keep my geraniums for more than one season. I will be rescuing mine from the deck tomorrow and will hope for the best in the spring. Thanks for the info!
I am happy to report that my overwintered geraniums survived. 😁 They are in their pots now but I am keeping them in the garage by a nice window until we’re done with the cold nights in Zone 6.
And did you have any success with this dry roots method? I'm hesitant to believe that the plant doesn't need watering during several months. Also, does the bag need to be opened every once in a while for fresh oxygen? Does the paper bag gets moist and moldy? Thank you for your answer on your experiences. KR from Germany
@@duif4b No, I had zero success with the dry roots method. After watching several videos and reading articles on the subject, I took my four big pots of outdoor geraniums and kept two of the pots inside and treated them as houseplants and with the other two I took them out of the pots, cleaned them thoroughly. I layered them loosely in a brown box and left them in a dark cool place. I checked them once a month for any mold, etc. They looked pretty shriveled in the spring but I did give them a chance and potted them up but to no avail (they were dead) The two that I had overwintered in their pots were put back outside in the spring and flowered non stop all summer. I have just brought them in again and will divide them next year when I re pot them. I won't be bothering with the dry root method again.
Wow. So glad to have found your site. I have been gardening for many years, but I bring the pots in and keep them on a tarp by a window. This is a much more simple (KISS -keep it super simple- is my motto). Thank you for starting your site to advise us. Blessing to you and yours!
Thanks! Very easy to follow. Inspires confidence. Would love to safely keep them over from year to year.... And, those pots you had them in are lovely.
Whew..I've successfully brought my geraniums in the pots inside for years after cutting them back to about 2" placed them in a 35-45 ° garage..watered lightly once a month until spring...bring them out mid-April on warm days to temper until after the first frost..then setting them back out..its time consuming and takes a lot of space..this year I'm going to try this method..we'll see how things work out in the spring..thank you for the information
I was just putting the whole potted geraniums in the garage every year..pinch off all blooms & buds and they would look Straggly ( like a bad hair day😂) when I brought them out in the spring. I would clean the plant up and put a top dressing of potting soil and water ; did it for years this way and then I saw Linda Vater method (YT plant channel) Puts them in lunch paper sack bags so that the plant is upside down and the roots are at the opening end of the bag (but still in the bag) tie a string around the bag and hang them. She writes the color and variety on the bag….which I would always forget to mark my variety on my pots so each spring when they would bud up I could start to see what color it was going to be…I’d get all tickled and just like Christmas presents in the spring. Love the idea of putting them all in a big leaf bag. I also wanted to mention if you have citronella plants you can overwinter it in the garage too…also for those that take cuttings from their geraniums you do it the same way with citronella plants…love mosquito plants which aren’t just citronella…most of your pungent plants mosquitoes don’t like. Happy gardening and happy fall ya’all😊
I used to bring my pots in with the geraniums. That created problems like gnats or fungus gnats getting into the soil and invading my garage. Also the plants were so injured that they took most of the Summer to recover. Last year I tried YOUR bare root plan, and it worked GREAT! The plants ended up larger than the year before and they recovered really quick, maybe 2 weeks they started looking good. So, I love the bare root idea. I'm ready to do it again, just tuned in to see if you had any further ideas. Also like the planting bulbs in the pots idea.
@@CH-1984 You'll like the bare root better. The plants recovered more quickly. I put mine in a cardboard box and followed these instructions, easy and worked better!
I cut mine down to about 4 inches and leave them in there pots ,leave them in the garage till spring maybe a cup of water in February or March bring them out feed them and they get bigger each year!
That sounds easier actually…..I might do what you do and also cover them in the garage with newspapers to keep them a bit warmer…I’m in England and it can get quite sub-freezing cold here around January.
Here in Cork,Ireland,i leave them outdoors thru winter and they survive. Plants like nasturtiums,calendula will survive outside. In fact throughout last winter calendulas were in bloom the whole time!
Yes, you should be in the perfect location to over-winter your geraniums. Just get them moved before the first frost of Autumn and plant them back after the last frost of Spring.
This was an interesting video. Last spring I found the most gorgeous salmon colored geraniums the likes of which I have never seen before. I brought the pot into the garage, but it’s going to get pretty cold so I was wondering what to do with them. I’m going to try this. Fingers crossed.
So glad to have found your channel! I have about 60 plants I want to winterize. However my basement is warm and garage isn’t heated so I may need to place in a spare fridge.. 🤔🤔
i alway just bring in over the winter. i put on my back porch it stay cool and gets light. i dont water only evey 3 weeks and it will grow slow. Before i put back out i will cut back or top my plants . when weather permits i put back outside. i get a more fuller plant that will put out many more flowers to start the year. i have also seen a few that just put in the window and let it grow. huge monster plants i did not think 1 can get this big but it will
I tried in from October to February indoors but almost all died. Probably too warm indoors so they dried up. I try again next year because it's a great tip. 👍
I have not suffered from having significant bug issue around geraniums, so I do not do anything to debug. If there were plants with a bug or disease infestation, I would not include it with the other plants and just let that one go its course for winter.
I overwinter my geraniums in the greenhouse, which I bubble wrap on the inside. I generally just give them a tidy up and leave them in their basket or pot. Som years we don't get much in the way of heavy frosts. However, our air, both outside (and in) can be very damp and dank and mildew sets in. When I spot this happening I strip the leaves off and sometimes get away with it! Fascinated seeing how you do them. Will try this but bring the bag into somewhere with dryer air.
I usually just g go ang the whole geranium in the winter with no plucking of buds or flowers. It always does great in the spring. I want to try your method.
I live in zone 7. I also have a basement with a large glass door. That is where I but my flowers of any kind I want to keep. I water 1 time a month so they don't grow much. In spring I start cuttings for new planters. Many end up gifts to friends.
I left mine in the pot and they came back the next spring but had them in a sheltered spot. I had to trim a couple bits off, but they cam back. Am in the UK
I overwinter my geraniums every year by bringing them inside, giving them a 'haircut', putting them in a bright window, adding some grow lights and continue to enjoy the blooms all winter. Both my mom and my grandmother did this. In fact, I have a few geranium plants that are at least 25 years old. Personally, I haven't bought a new geranium in at least 10 years. I take all the cuttings and root them in my kitchen window in bottles of water...friends love in the spring when I have geraniums for their gardens too!
Wow
Must I take my geraniums inside during the UK winter
I’m in NYC, my planter lasted until I was putting up my Christmas wreath in the window with the planter. I decided since it was December already I would bring it inside for a few months in my front hall because I leave a flourescent light on a lot in the winter, the plant had flowers all winter and is doing great again, when the flowers die back now when I dead head them I also remove some leaves if it’s bushy add a little fertilizer and I’ve never had so many blooms. It’s coming in a again this winter.
Lucky friends to have you!
I do the same - they bloom all winter in bright windows.
This lovely lady takes the time to give out interesting and informative care of geraniums, and a few of those commenting are bothered by her using "ummm" too many times. Oh Please ... Stop with the snobby condescending remarks. Certainly not necessary, and says more about you, not her.
Right on! I’m an ummer lol sounds like myself talking 😊
Talking off the cuff unscripted, we all say umm. People can be so rude eh
Geraniums make GREAT cut flowers! Bring those blooms in to enjoy for at least a week in a vase!!
I live in Calgary in a house. We do not have a place without heat other than out side which freezes (Like most people here). I have brought geraniums in for the winter to grow and they flower all winter. I have had plants 10 years. The only reason I quit was lack of room. I kept growing them for sentimental reasons - my dad (who passed on) grew the original plants.❤
I'll try this! Nothing to lose. I have the prettiest geranium plant growing right now, but we're getting near frosty season so I'll have to save it or lose it.
I did it. I did all of this instructions carefully. They are dead. So take them inside the house , next to a window And love it . I have a few for years and years. In Canada. Yes.
Perhaps it was too warm where they were stored or you left too much soil ?
Canada. My neighbour winterized her geraniums! I never knew what she did (passed away). Glad I watched you, so now I know what to do with my one plant.
@@mariankeller5852 she said to check on them once a month to make sure they’re not too dry or moldy. Maybe that’s why mine didn’t make it either. Will try again this month.
Thank you 😊
Mine died last winter too, exception cold spell killed them. Replaced them but they were poor quality bought from SOF and one other store,so will bring mine in this year ,just two survived that I had in the house last year.
Thank you, my two beautiful ones are tucked away now. I am 63 and this summer, I had the two most beautiful plants I have ever grown in my whole life. It will be wonderful to have them back next summer.
Well done! You're a natural in front of the camera - well-spoken and friendly. Thanks for the video!
I love how you explained the energy preservation and sending them off to sleep
I have watched this for the last three winters and it works great!!! I like to come back a view just incase I forget something. 🙂 Thank you so much
my Mom saved her’s for over 10 yrs. the main stem was like a tree stalk, amassing! you saved me i kept thinking i had to bring the pots in, paper bag is great❤️
This is complete advice on how to winterize geraniums. Easy, quick and free; love it!
❤️
So@@ReadyandThriving
very straightforward and helpful. thank you
Dry rooting was something I tried last year for the first time here in southern Ontario . One large geranium I've had for 7 years now has been overwintered in house by cutting back severely at frost time , spraying for bugs and brought in to sit in a sunny window - this year green and full and blooming in January . More geraniums were over wintered by dry rooting last year b/c there simply aren't enough sunny windows to sit in in my house . Luckily 100 % success with it first time .
What did you to spray it with? (For the bugs)
I would love to do that. I tried but mine got really leggy and didn't rebloom. Do you fertilize every week as if they were outside?
I've been doing this exact same thing for years. I learned how from my parents and grandparents, and it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to have larger plants year after year and more free plants if you break off pieces from your geraniums and just stick them into the soil.
What other plants can you do this with?
I was asking about winterizing, not propagating. - what this video is about. Not sure if my comment came up as a response to you or not. Not what I intended.
I have had success overwintering geraniums for many years in growing zone 3 which entails quite a long period of dormancy before the temperatures in the springtime are warm enough for replanting. I remove my geraniums from their paper bags and soak the roots in water in five gallon buckets for an hour or two every two or three weeks over the course of the winter mindful that the plants will be dormant for several months. I have a small tarp that I place on the basement floor in anticipation that leaves with drop from the plants as they are moved from bag to bucket and back, then its a simple matter of taking the tarp outside to dispose of the leaves. It is quite a bit of work but the reward comes when the plants come back to life when planted in the spring. I am able to get grocery store sized paper bags from a local grocer but am envious of the wonderful large bags that you have in your video.
Great suggestions! Thank you for sharing them.
The large bags can be found in hardware stores. They are sold as lawn cutting and leaf removal bags. They are great to have on hand.
Are the roo4s wetwhen you put them back in the bag? Orifyou drythem, howdo you do that? I would like to try this. Thank you for sharing.
I do a deck full of large container plantings. In the fall I leave New England for 6 months, except for one week in Dec, and all I do is put the pots in the attached garage or in the cooler/darker part of the basement. That's actually how I found out they would come back! I also have a rose that I had intended to plant in the garden in Sept. but didn't get to it. Used a hand truck to get the pot into the basement. Came back in the spring and the plant had died back but sprouted 2 or 3 long, spindly stems. I gave it a shot at growing, putting back on the deck and watering it. By end of July it was twice as big as it had been and was covered in roses! Same thing with a mandevilla plant, 3X as big! Anything is worth a try over just throwing it out.I did give them one light watering in Dec....I think. Also did the same with the Elephant Ear and Canna pots. Made the mistake of watering them twice and a couple rotted. And 3 large perennial grasses also came back over a foot taller this summer. You do have to for sure feed the plants next summer though if you don't repot since the soil is exhausted. Wish I could post photos. Cheers!
Nice! I want to start doing roses next.
Thank you for this video, I bought quite a few Geraniums at the beginning of summer that are still flowering now here in the UK and Its good to know I dont have to pay to replace them all again next summer. Off to watch your "Replant Overwintered Geraniums" now :)
Great video. I have winterized 3 of mine for about 10 years in pots and I keep them in our garage and give them a tiny bit of water (1/4 cup or so) on the first of the month until March. I have put some dry in boxes and have had a few die. I think one was an ivy geranium so I guess that's why... Mine grow under the eaves on the patio so they are still in bloom, but the others have to be pulled out and go away now. I'm in Z7b or so up here in Vancouver,BC. I always like to see how others do this. I think I'll try the paper bag instead of my boxes. Some say trim them a bit smaller beforehand. I'm pleasantly surprised the green leaves don't cause any problems. My three in a pot are huge - as big as a little hydrangea almost! Thanks for the video.
I have been doing this for years, so glad to see others encouraged to do the same but where I live, I wouldn't be able to plant them outside until June. I put them in pots around February or March and by the time it warms up, I put them outside, bring in if risk of frost. I think some of mine are at least 8 years old. Thank you for this video, even though I am just seeing it almost 2 years later!
😊
Linda you must live in a colder place like myself. Do you use the method of cutting geraniums back and then putting in a paper bag like she described? Where do you put the bag? Do you have a cool cellar? Thanks
@@chomperthefirst533 I put them in a paper bag in the dark, which is under my stairs, and yes it is cooler. In the past, I have just put them in a card board box. I do not cut them back, except for flowers, just bang as much dirt as I can, and cut off the flowers that are coming out, etc.
Hi! I really enjoyed your explanation about the geraniums overwintering. I didn’t know that I could have them back. I saw a video yesterday but way complicated 😅. Now I know that won’t have toby geranium next year. Thank you and God bless you and your family ❤
Good idea to keep the plans and let them rest through the winter! It looks like the strong smell of geraniums keeps wasps away too. Thanks for the tip of planting bulbs into the empty pots !
I have a green house where I overwinter the pots of geraniums. I just give them a drastic hair cut and by spring they are bushy and blooming. I have some that are 10 years old and huge! One year I took each one out of it's pot and cut back the roots then repotted. They did great.
Like you I give mine a haircut when I bring them in but instead of a greenhouse I put them on a counter in a south facing window in a sun room. Mine usually can get to 6 feet tall most summers. We are in the western Washington state. :)
I have always just put them in the basement in the late fall pot and all. Have had good luck. Not easy to do if potted in very large pots, however.
Thanks for the great video.
I had no idea that you can do it this way! I either overwintered in pots in the shed (which takes up too much room) or took cuttings and overwintered in a propagator. I’m so excited at the prospect of keeping all my geraniums without any of the hassle- great video
Thanks
Jenny
I picked up the most Beautiful orangie red glowy Geraniums this year I'm excited to try to winter them over LOVE YOUR video THANK YOU!
Thank you for this! I too am from California, and used to grow citronella geranium as tall as my house. Moving here, NEPA, I have to learn new things. I’ve always cut them back and placed them in my basement in the same pots. But now I know how to do this properly, because of you, I’ll have more success.
Wonderful!
It is quite an adjustment from an area where geraniums can be left outside to grow and thrive to an area where they need to be over-wintered, but over-wintering is pretty easy and oh so satisfying.
Do they need to be watered at all over the winter or just leave them dry in the bag?
Thank you! Great video! I never knew you could store geraniums. For the last 5 years I've been wintering them over but, honestly, it's a chore to keep them watered and going through the winter. Plus, at this point, they have become rather large (despite taking cuttings, though probably not enough) and now, learning this method, I'm thinking of winterizing them this year and taking a lot of cuttings next spring-- well, once they are established again. I also like the idea of putting bulbs in the pots and leaving them out. All good information.
I have grown geraniums from seed for the last 2 years. They do great, grow huge. Hubby brought in one last year, over wintered it in a bright window but it was a little slow taking off when back outside but eventually took off just fine. I am in central Alberta.
I just started geraniums from seed though they're not big enough to bloom yet. I read that the ones from seed are more disease resistant than from cuttings.
Thank you so much! Great complete instructions. For the first time, I won’t leave my geraniums outside just to wilt & fadeaway and buy new ones during summer. Will cross my fingers and hopefully it will be a success for next year. Thank you once again❤️
Last year my mom did the same thing and almost forgot about them. I think she thought they were dead. She tossed them on top of the dirt in the old pot and they took off without any help! Things just want to grow. Thanks for the demo! Great! I have one thats going into year 4. This one I just brought inside and left her in a pot. By late winter she was blooming inside so had a great start for 2022 and did very well in her summer pot! She has gotten quite large so now I have about 8 more I will overwinter your way. Cant wait!
You reminded me of a story... : )
In 1979 I was heading out to boot camp and was cleaning out my room. I found a bunch of old Pot seeds, I just tossed them into my Mom's house plants and off I went to Parris Island.
Thirteen weeks later,
I come home and these things just took off... Mom thought they were non bearing Tomato plants, she couldn't figure out where they came from. lol...
I got rid of them as soon as I could and never said a word.
Now, I'm growing Geraniums...
Thanx for the smile.
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this video. I inherited many geraniums from my mom this year and was worried about overwintering since I lost access to her greenhouse. My garage is small and dark and I don't have an option for putting the pots in there. I'll give this method a try.
Thanks again (I left an initial thank you last year before trying this method because your tutorial was easy to understand and I hadn't been aware I could do this and was eager to try it out....). This last autumn, I put six in dry storage for the first time ( I didn't have the nerve to do more in that initial run) and they all over wintered! Your instructions are easy to follow. All the best.
That was a great video, thank you very much! I've overwintered geraniums for several years but always lugging all the whole pots down to my cool basement for the winter. I wanted to learn about the bare root method, and I really liked all your explanations and demonstrations. Thanks again!
Using your prior “bringing in the pots”, does it work? Can you just bring them inside to grow or should they rest?
@@pozzee2809 in a pot they will need watered.
Depending on how much light they get they will become leggy and pale and weak.
That's what mine do in the PNW.
I'm going to try this method this year. It seems so much easier.
🙂
Mine were free😃! Hubby brought me 3 geraniums someone had thrown away late June no leaves/flowers. Hubby brought them for 'the pots' he thought they were dead, I saw them I could tell the stems still had some life. All were dry as a bone, I watered with fish emulsion {full of nitrogen}. Saw tiny leaves in less than a week, now more than a month later they have big beautiful leaves & flowers! Two reds, and a pink. Never owned geraniums before, will try your overwintering method in fall! Thanks!
This looks like such an easy process you've talked me into trying it right now. Love your sunny manner-
OMG I didn’t realise you could winterise my favourite flower geraniums
Thank you for sharing ❤
Hello! I have watched quite many videos about winterizing the geraniums, and your is by far the most informative! And beautiful suggestion about tulips. Thank you!!
Thank you very kindly. Glad it was helpful!
I did this with success. It was my 2nd time to try to overwinter geraniums, but this tutorial helped me get it right. The geranium did so lovely this summer. I just pulled it yesterday and will overwinter using the same process. It's very rewarding that this works! Thank you for a very helpful tutorial that actually works.
I put my in the garage….praying for the best! Cutting them back and watering occasionally is my plan. I wish I had the time to do this
Hello I just come a cross your great vidéo. I leaving in Belgium and I have never store my geraniums in winter.I will follow your recommandations and hope inspring my geraniums will be fine and beautiful.
Thank you for this video.
Wonderful!
Great video!! I’m trying to winterize mine for the first time. You’ve given me hope.
First time I tried, I wasn't sure if it would actually work. But wow! It sure does. So satisfying to "wake up" the geraniums in Spring and watch them come back to life and bloom all Summer!
I've also been winterizing my geraniums for a few years, only difference is I hang them upside down and let them dry out a little before bagging them.
Thanks for the great video. I had heard you could winterize geraniums but I didn't know how till your wonderful,complete video.
Loved your video. I am trying this for the first year and I will keep you posted on the results. Excited to try this after seeing and being informed about the results. Thank you! Happy Gardening!
Thank you so so much for such an informative simple and easy to follow video. I have four beautiful giant geraniums in a big pot that was breaking my heart to toss. I had no idea I could keep them! Yayyyy!!! Looking forward to following all your videos 😊
I have one geranium plant that I have winterized for 12 years now in upstate New York. I bring the plant in before the first frost and it sits in a child size wagon along with some herbs and Peace Lilies in front of a door that gets sun part of the day. It will drop leaves at some point, not to worry. I prune back leggy stems and come spring I add plant fertilizer and it goes back out when the night temps remain above freezing and it takes off. Easy peasy. I add holiday decorations to the plants in the wagon and it makes for a festive addition to my room.
Do you water your plante hwn you bring them indoors? How much water and how often? Thank you.
@@cb7457 yes I do water them. When the potting soil is dry and the leaves droop a little bit then I give it a good soaking of water until extra water pours out from the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. I do not fertilize them until spring though (I use the small packets of Miracle Grow fertilizer for watering cans ) and then when the weather starts to warm up in early May when trees begin to bud, then I give them fertilizer to help them grow lots of new leaves and flower buds. During winter they lose lots of leaves but that’s fine,they grow new ones in spring and that is when I trim out dead stems. Be careful to limit their time outside in sunshine in spring as they can get easily scorched since they have been inside all winter. I bring them outside for a couple hours each warm day but place them in shade for the first few weeks of getting them used to being outdoors again. Also, not all plants dry out as fast as others, some stay moist for a few weeks so check the soil before watering so you don’t over water. The geraniums want water more often than some of my other plants and the cactus plants such as the Christmas cactus are only watered once a month or so even though their soil is dry. It’s a live and learn thing. If you see some mushy back rot type areas at the base of some leaves or stems then you are watering them too often.
@@farmwife7944 thank you so much! This will help me this winter.
I enjoyed your tutorial. This will be my first year trying to save my geraniums. I had no idea this could even be done. I appreciate your style of teaching. 6B
Super wonderful, helpful, and simple! Exactly what I needed! Thank you!
I just put them on a sunny windowsill, works so far.
I just bagged my geraniums. The pink ones were spectacular this year so I’m excited to give this a try and looking forward to seeing how they do next season !
Wow, I was just thinking, how to winterize my geraniums and if it's possible. Just now I happened to find your video. Thanks so much. Hello from the north of Germany.
Last year I just threw them into a large trash can and brought them into the garage done! In the spring take them out and rejuvenate the ones that look good and throw out the one that didn't do well.
Very nice show, here in Florida I put my geraniums out in the winter months and cut them back before bringing them in for the summer, am originally from Maine so this is backwards from what I'm used to
Thank you very much! Amazingly simple! God bless you!
Hello from Falls City also in Oregon. Glad to see fellow Oregonian on RUclips.
Love this! I never even thought I could keep my geraniums for more than one season. I will be rescuing mine from the deck tomorrow and will hope for the best in the spring. Thanks for the info!
I am happy to report that my overwintered geraniums survived. 😁 They are in their pots now but I am keeping them in the garage by a nice window until we’re done with the cold nights in Zone 6.
Year 2 of my overwintered geraniums. They are thriving and looking better than ever!
Thanks! Winterizing my geraniums for the first time using this method so all your tips have been greatly appreciated.
And did you have any success with this dry roots method? I'm hesitant to believe that the plant doesn't need watering during several months. Also, does the bag need to be opened every once in a while for fresh oxygen? Does the paper bag gets moist and moldy? Thank you for your answer on your experiences. KR from Germany
@@duif4b No, I had zero success with the dry roots method. After watching several videos and reading articles on the subject, I took my four big pots of outdoor geraniums and kept two of the pots inside and treated them as houseplants and with the other two I took them out of the pots, cleaned them thoroughly. I layered them loosely in a brown box and left them in a dark cool place. I checked them once a month for any mold, etc. They looked pretty shriveled in the spring but I did give them a chance and potted them up but to no avail (they were dead) The two that I had overwintered in their pots were put back outside in the spring and flowered non stop all summer. I have just brought them in again and will divide them next year when I re pot them. I won't be bothering with the dry root method again.
Oh wow, thank you, so informative! I will be doing this with my 3! 👍
Wow. So glad to have found your site. I have been gardening for many years, but I bring the pots in and keep them on a tarp by a window. This is a much more simple (KISS -keep it super simple- is my motto). Thank you for starting your site to advise us. Blessing to you and yours!
(Psst, Keep It Simple Sugar)
Thanks! Very easy to follow. Inspires confidence. Would love to safely keep them over from year to year....
And, those pots you had them in are lovely.
Whew..I've successfully brought my geraniums in the pots inside for years after cutting them back to about 2" placed them in a 35-45 ° garage..watered lightly once a month until spring...bring them out mid-April on warm days to temper until after the first frost..then setting them back out..its time consuming and takes a lot of space..this year I'm going to try this method..we'll see how things work out in the spring..thank you for the information
Well did it work for you, however where abouts are you please?
I was just putting the whole potted geraniums in the garage every year..pinch off all blooms & buds and they would look Straggly ( like a bad hair day😂) when I brought them out in the spring. I would clean the plant up and put a top dressing of potting soil and water ; did it for years this way and then I saw Linda Vater method (YT plant channel)
Puts them in lunch paper sack bags so that the plant is upside down and the roots are at the opening end of the bag (but still in the bag) tie a string around the bag and hang them. She writes the color and variety on the bag….which I would always forget to mark my variety on my pots so each spring when they would bud up I could start to see what color it was going to be…I’d get all tickled and just like Christmas presents in the spring.
Love the idea of putting them all in a big leaf bag. I also wanted to mention if you have citronella plants you can overwinter it in the garage too…also for those that take cuttings from their geraniums you do it the same way with citronella plants…love mosquito plants which aren’t just citronella…most of your pungent plants mosquitoes don’t like.
Happy gardening and happy fall ya’all😊
You are very pleasant on camera with great information. This is why I subscribed. Thanks.
Thank you. I will try this. I hope it works. I hate to buy new ones every year
I'm not so lucky with my geraniums in the winter. I hope your tips will help 😍
I used to bring my pots in with the geraniums. That created problems like gnats or fungus gnats getting into the soil and invading my garage. Also the plants were so injured that they took most of the Summer to recover. Last year I tried YOUR bare root plan, and it worked GREAT! The plants ended up larger than the year before and they recovered really quick, maybe 2 weeks they started looking good. So, I love the bare root idea. I'm ready to do it again, just tuned in to see if you had any further ideas. Also like the planting bulbs in the pots idea.
Thank you Jane Hop for sharing. I may try the root storing way, because the ones stored in pots weren't really flourishing the next summer.
@@CH-1984 You'll like the bare root better. The plants recovered more quickly. I put mine in a cardboard box and followed these instructions, easy and worked better!
I cut mine down to about 4 inches and leave them in there pots ,leave them in the garage till spring maybe a cup of water in February or March bring them out feed them and they get bigger each year!
That sounds easier actually…..I might do what you do and also cover them in the garage with newspapers to keep them a bit warmer…I’m in England and it can get quite sub-freezing cold here around January.
@@lesliebeaumont9512 same here but I shall put the big paper bag on top, good luck with them
Here in Cork,Ireland,i leave them outdoors thru winter and they survive. Plants like nasturtiums,calendula will survive outside. In fact throughout last winter calendulas were in bloom the whole time!
Thanks very instructional up to now I’ve been keeping then growing in the garage with fluorescent lights!😊
Thanks going to try my hand at this
Awesome info. Thank you. I will give it a try.
Thanks for this tip. Just joined. Will try this method.
It was easy to follow your guides. Thank you for explaining the details in such a clear way. Many great tips and 1st class video! Thank you! 💚❤🧡💛💙💜
Let’s try this
Thank you for your video; bit different from what I've been doing but will try your method to! God bless have a great day.
I've allowed geraniums to over Winter outside next to the house walls. Some survive but they do get woody and are slower to flower.
Thank you so much, I cannot wait to try this.
Thanks for tips.... I had never thought of saving them. ... will try next year. I'm on west coast Canada so hopefully weather is okay with this.
Yes, you should be in the perfect location to over-winter your geraniums. Just get them moved before the first frost of Autumn and plant them back after the last frost of Spring.
Thank you so much . Great idea with the bulbs as well. It’s such a waste of money to buy new ones every year.
Very interesting,thankyou will give it a try 😇
Thank you! this is amazing!
Your garden is beautiful 🤩
I'm going g to try this, thanks! I love e geraniums.
This was an interesting video. Last spring I found the most gorgeous salmon colored geraniums the likes of which I have never seen before. I brought the pot into the garage, but it’s going to get pretty cold so I was wondering what to do with them. I’m going to try this. Fingers crossed.
Going to try it.
Thank you so much for a great video! Will try this - can’t wair
Great tip
Thanks
love your energy (from Nova Scotia, from Canada) :)
Oh thank you!
I live in Sandiego, no problem outside.
So glad to have found your channel! I have about 60 plants I want to winterize. However my basement is warm and garage isn’t heated so I may need to place in a spare fridge.. 🤔🤔
i alway just bring in over the winter. i put on my back porch it stay cool and gets light. i dont water only evey 3 weeks and it will grow slow. Before i put back out i will cut back or top my plants . when weather permits i put back outside. i get a more fuller plant that will put out many more flowers to start the year. i have also seen a few that just put in the window and let it grow. huge monster plants i did not think 1 can get this big but it will
I tried in from October to February indoors but almost all died.
Probably too warm indoors so they dried up. I try again next year because it's a great tip. 👍
If the area is a bit warm and dry, try spritzing them with water each month.
What do you do to debug your plants before bagging for the winter? I have some beautiful white geraniums I would love to keep!!!
I have not suffered from having significant bug issue around geraniums, so I do not do anything to debug. If there were plants with a bug or disease infestation, I would not include it with the other plants and just let that one go its course for winter.
I overwinter my geraniums in the greenhouse, which I bubble wrap on the inside. I generally just give them a tidy up and leave them in their basket or pot. Som years we don't get much in the way of heavy frosts. However, our air, both outside (and in) can be very damp and dank and mildew sets in. When I spot this happening I strip the leaves off and sometimes get away with it!
Fascinated seeing how you do them. Will try this but bring the bag into somewhere with dryer air.
Great tips!
I usually just g go ang the whole geranium in the winter with no plucking of buds or flowers. It always does great in the spring. I want to try your method.
I live in zone 7. I also have a basement with a large glass door. That is where I but my flowers of any kind I want to keep. I water 1 time a month so they don't grow much. In spring I start cuttings for new planters. Many end up gifts to friends.
Thanks so much. Didn’t know this was possible or how if it was. Definitely trying this tomorrow
Thank you best video out there. Answered all my questions I subscribed
I left mine in the pot and they came back the next spring but had them in a sheltered spot. I had to trim a couple bits off, but they cam back. Am in the UK