Garden

[RedTop]

Last summer I had two beautiful geraniums growing on my front porch; enjoyed their bold, colorful blooms all summer and into September.   

Wanting to save these plants, I brought them into our unheated garage, where it rarely drops below freezing.   Over time I’ve learned my big Christmas cactus is the only plant that weathers well in my basement.   

By December, the garage was cooling down, so I set my geraniums inside a large cardboard box, folded the flaps over the top, and left the box near the sunny window.   

Today I peeked inside the box and found two very green plants that appeared to be doing very well inside there!   We still have two months of cold weather ahead, but hopefully my geraniums can come out of their box by May, and onto my porch in early June.   

Due to my family’s severe allergies and COPD, I cannot have houseplants in our living space, but love having flowers on my front porch in the summer.   

[newagain888888]

What a delightful and welcome surprise! My MiL, who lived in a cold (Ohio) climate, would pull her geraniums completely out of the soil in the fall, wrap them loosely in newspaper, and leave them on the floor in a corner of her cool basement. They didn’t receive much warmth or light throughout the winter months. In mid-spring, she would unwrap them to discover new green leaves, signaling that they were ready to be planted again. We were amazed.

It’s wonderful that you were able to save your plants and will have the chance to enjoy your beautiful flowers another year. I hope they they will be just as bold and vibrant as they were last season. 

[on the bay]

That is such a nice surprise!

My neighbor got a geranium in a pot for mother's day. It must have been 4-5 years ago.

She has it outside in that same pot in the spring through summer and brings it in in the winter. It is still blooming and happy as can be.

She waters it and talks to it.

They are so hardy!

[Sweetbay magnolia]

How nice!  I love geraniums.  I have duplicate prints, side-by-side, in different sizes, of the Matisse painting "pot of geraniums".

This year I decided to bring two of my potted ones inside (I'd never done this).  I put them in front of a full glass door on the west side and they are doing well!  One is blooming right now.  I may try to keep these a long time, and come May they go back outside.

I have heard that the method you are using (let them go semi-dormant) is a good way to overwinter them.  Sounds like it is working!  

[hayseed00]

@RedTop   We live in Western NY and my Mom would always put her spent Geraniums in the basement wrapped in a paper bag, drag them up every spring and they would always grow.  I on the other hand am lazy and just put the plants back to the earth in our woods.

[AuntG]

What do geraniums need that I'm not giving them? I'd be happy if the ones I buy in spring would make it through autumn, much less another whole year!