15 Easy Steps to Growing Geraniums

It's not difficult to transplant geraniums — many of which are from the Pelargonium genus, not Geranium, interestingly — if the place where you plant them has the right conditions, such as adequate light. Establish your nursery geraniums when the last freeze is in the rearview mirror and the soil has thawed a ways down.

Young plants can settle in your garden or in 6- to 12-inch-diameter pots. Complete the welcome with a nice watering.

Geraniums require fertile soil with good drainage, so make sure that the pots you use have drainage holes. Mix balanced organic fertilizer, peat moss, and compost or rotted manure into your soil before planting. Or opt for a commercial container mix if you're going to pot your plant.

Once your geraniums settle in, fertilize the soil monthly between summer and fall, or follow the timing instructions on your fertilizer package. With a little TLC, geraniums will grow well and look pretty as a picture in planting beds or on your patio.

Geraniums love to take in the rays for at least six hours a day, but they'll need shade when the sun is at its strongest in higher hardiness zones. Regal and ivy geraniums demand light shade no matter where you are in the country.

If geraniums get too hot, they can stop blooming, so location is everything.

Balance is vital when it comes to hydrating your drought-tolerant geraniums. You never want your soil to become wholly dry. On the other hand, overly moist conditions can introduce rot.

Monitor your soil to ensure the top inch or two is dry before adding water, and you'll lower the risk of yellow leaves and drooping blossoms.

Using fertilizers with too little phosphorus can lead to the discoloration of your geraniums' leaves. A lack of nitrogen can also cause purpling, and you can get yellow leaves when the plant is low on the micronutrients iron, sulfur, and zinc.

Seaweed extracts are good sources of micronutrients if your fertilizer doesn't include them.

Pelargoniums can thrive in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 12. But you may be able to overwinter these beautiful plants in cool zone 7 if your winters don't get too cold. Hardy cranesbill geraniums do well in zones 5 to 8. Chat to your local nursery or garden center expert about the best geraniums for your climate and needs.

Pruning will keep your geranium bushes looking full, healthy, and rich with blooms. Before winter, cut back a third of your plant if you plan on storing it alive, and target woody stems in particular.

After winter, you should have new growth, so prune any stems that are non-sprouting. You can use shears, or pinch half an inch off the end of geranium stems with your fingers for a bushy aesthetic.

Most pelargonium plants in the U.S. are originally from South Africa. And while southern Africa can get cold, pelargoniums tend not to be frost-hardy. As a result, they're unsuitable for the constant icy winter temperatures in parts of North America.

You'll need to overwinter these annuals and tender perennials by digging them up if they're not in containers and placing them in pots you can move to bright parts of your home. Alternatively, hang them upside down in a cool, dark area such as the basement or garage after lightly dusting off the soil. The roots will need an hour-long soaking once a month before you rehang them, and come spring, you'll be able to replant. You can also store dormant geraniums in cardboard boxes or paper bags.

You sure can, and the process is pretty simple. Avoid flowering shoots and cut above the leaf node. Honey is a rooting hormone, so if you like, you can dip your cutting in a honey solution to protect it and encourage growth.

Fill a three-inch container with cutting compost before making holes near the edges of the medium. You can now pop your cutting into the container and lightly water the soil before moving the final product to a warm windowsill. You should see roots within a week.

When you're a plant parent, you need to stay on top of the health of your plant babies. With geraniums, this means swiftly deadheading flowers to prevent fungal diseases. If you do notice mold on flowers, remove those blooms asap.

Fungi often crop up if there's poor airflow around your plants, so give them room when you're placing them in the ground or pots to prevent this and allow space for growth.

Be on the lookout for pesky pests in the form of budworms, slugs, snails, aphids, whiteflies, and caterpillars. Don't stress if you find them. They're a problem easily solved with a spray of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki and manual removal. Check your flower buds and underneath leaves, and pick off the budworms and eggs. You can dunk the pests in soapy water, and if you do this daily, you'll start to see fewer and fewer unwelcome visitors until they disappear entirely. Whiteflies can spread from one plant to another, so if you spot them, keep your geraniums isolated or treat them before overwintering. Finally, spider mites respond well to neem oil.

You have so many options when it comes to this impressive plant. Hanging baskets filled with ivy geraniums can brighten up your porch or balcony. Hardy geraniums look stunning in rock gardens or containers, and the foliage can grow over the edges of your pot to great effect. And using colorful geraniums as wild or manicured ground cover can infuse life into your backyard.

The name "geranium" applies to many species of Pelargoniums, despite Geranium being another genus This confusion goes back to the 17th century when pelargoniums first arrived in Europe and looked mightily similar to flowers in the geranium family.

Pelargoniums and geraniums differ in one obvious way: each of a true geranium's petals are the same size and shape, whereas pelargonium flowers have two upper petals that differ from the three lower ones.

Cranesbill geraniums are not toxic, but pelargoniums containing geraniol and linalool are mildly toxic for your four-legged friends. If you have sensitive skin, you may have some irritation after exposure to this plant, so handle it with gloves as far as possible.

Geraniums make up for being slightly poisonous by attracting butterflies and bees to your garden's ecosystem.

As we've already established, geraniums and pelargoniums are in the same plant family and are often referred to interchangeably. In terms of varieties, you'll find scented geraniums with wonderfully perfumed leaves, annual zonal geraniums, and similar seed geraniums, as well as trailing ivy varieties.

Regal geraniums, also known as Martha Washington geraniums, do well in the cooler months. Hardy geraniums or cranesbills are perennials and are therefore true geraniums. There are also variegated geraniums with multi-hued leaves and interspecific hybrid geraniums that combine zonal and ivy geraniums. You're spoilt for choice!