over wintering geraniums ?

[Deleted User]

Hi green fingered friends, I have some really nice pots of geraniums on my patio and would like to try to over-winter them. Now I have had several bits of advice from various folk as the the best way to do this
A. buy fleece from a garden centre and wrap them up
another friend said 'No don't do that'
B. wrap the plant round with straw
another said NO it will make them rot
C. wrap with old newspapers and keep in a sheltered spot.

Now I live in the south-east in Kent so we don't really get too much frost here only the odd bit now and again.

Can any of you smart gardeners advise me as to what you would do. I have to keep them in pots as I am slightly disabled and don't bend too well ( bit long in the tooth as well )
I also have several in an old butler-type sink whic I obviously cannot move (they weigh a ton ) so I really do need to protect those as much as possible

peter_the_piper

Hardy geraniums and that will work ok.
Pelargoniums are much more tender and need to be kept in light, pruned back to about 5-6 nodes, allow the compost to get quite dry(but not completely) and store in a light, frost free place. Preferably above 6deg C.
As insurance take a few cuttings of each(leave for an hour or two to let the cut part dry off), place around the edge of a pot after dipping into rooting hormone(not necessary but helpful)and keep compost moist. Window ledge would be ok so its kept warm. Do Not cover with compost as they will rot off. They will root in about 4-6 weeks. don't feed until spring when you pot them up.
That's roughly what I do, we lose a few but that's why you take more than 1.

Silvertabby

Assuming that you've got pelargoniums, and not hardy geraniums, you'll need to cut them back, pop them into small individual plant pots and bring them indoors for the winter - a bedroom windowsill should do the trick. Even if your garden is sheltered, the winter temperature will still be too low for these tender plants.

However, if you've got the hardy kinds, then you'll just have to raise the pots off the ground so they don't get waterlogged and frozen.

Davesnave

<Pedant Alert>

OP, in case there's any confusion here, I'll just add that about 99% of people who say 'geraniums,' mean 'pelargoniums,' whether they think they do or not.

[Deleted User]

Thank you everyone for your input

JackieO xx

andrewf75

Just about to bring mine in. I left them in an unheated greenhouse last winter and even though it was a very mild one they died, so I'll try the house this time as I don't have anywhere inbetween.

savemoney

I had mine last winter in a unheated greenhouse which was insulated with bubble wrap and they were fine apart from odd one. This year I put them in on GH staging and covered them with fleece

Elsewhere

I grew up in a B&B; we planted up the garden with loads of pelagoniums and other bright flowers in the summer to catch the eye of the punters. In the winter a few of the pelagoniums would get potted up and we also rooted some cuttings and kept them indoors. The rest were dug out, the roots shaken to remove the soil and we stored them either hung up or wrapped loosely in newspaper in the garage where it was dry, cool and dark. About half of these would survive to sprout in the spring.

Living_proof

I have pelargoniums and fuschias in soil under the south facing front wall of the house. They have survived for at least the last four years with more damage coming their way from the house martins pooping all over them in summer than by any frost or snow in winter. I cut them back when they are frosted and they grow again in spring. Amazing.

Davesnave

Living_proof wrote: »

I have pelargoniums and fuschias in soil under the south facing front wall of the house. They have survived for at least the last four years. Amazing.

There's plenty of fuchsias that are hardy, but a warm, dry area in the shelter of a wall may be enough to enable survival and re-growth of pelargoniums too. Some of those are almost hardy, like my old oak leaf scented one, which used to go on from year to year in a trough under a north-facing wall.

Not winter 2009/10 or 2010/11, though! Minus 15C here in the first of those, although the hardy fuchsias came back OK.

peter_the_piper

Just to add to Daves post, even more tender Fuchsias will survive a tough winter if planted about twice the pot depth, keeps the tender parts mostly out of frosts way.