Easy ways to Overwinter Geraniums

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Several easy ways to overwinter your geraniums aka pelargoniums successfully. Overwintering your geraniums is a great way to save money. 

Want to overwinter your geraniums (aka: zonal pelargoniums)? Today I am sharing some smart and easy ways to keep your zonal annual geraniums alive over winter. 

Horticultural Name: Pelargonium x hortorum

If you like to grow them as annuals and don’t mind replacing them next year then go right ahead and buy new plants in spring.  No judgment here. 

Plus you can grow them easily from seed and have tons of geraniums without going to the work of trying to keep last year’s plants. 

Hey, did you know there is a difference between Zonal Geraniums ( and Seed Grown?

note: this post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase via any of these links I will make a small commission at no cost to you

Go here if you wish to discover more about Hardy Geraniums (Geranium bohemicum) common name, Cranesbill or Perennial Geraniums.

Today we talk about:

• Prepping Plants Grown in the Garden
• Keep geraniums in pots over winter in unheated garage
• Take and root cuttings
• Indoor Geranium Winter Care
• Overwintering geraniums in a cardboard box aka bare root
• How to Prepare Geraniums for Winter Storage

Prepare to Overwinter Geraniums Grown in the Garden

Unless you live in Zone 9 – 11 your geraniums will not make it through the winter planted outdoors in your garden. They are tender perennials in those zones but any lower and they should be treated as annuals. And that is because of the colder winter temperatures in zones lower than 9.

When preparing your geraniums to keep over winter it is recommended to start in late summer 6 weeks before the first freeze. That is a guideline, not a rule. If you don’t have that long try this anyways.

Before your first frost or freeze cut the geraniums back by half before digging them up. Remove any dead leaves.  Dig up the entire plant. Be sure only to keep healthy plants. (some don’t bother cutting it back)

Give the plants a thorough washing with a garden hose outfitted with a spray nozzle like this one.  This will help remove pests.

Let dry thoroughly. Then give them a nice spritz of this 3 in 1 spray to combat bugs, fungus and mildew.  

At this stage, you must decide how or where to keep them safe during the winter.

Potted, bare root, or indoors. Each has little tips and tricks you need to know for success.

Geranium Care in Winter

 1. Dormant Storage Potted Geraniums

I grow my geraniums in pots and containers all summer and this method is one I share in the video linked below.  

Before the first frost cut the geranium plant back to a nub just above the soil line, it won’t hurt the plant.

You can also leave part of the plant as you do in the preceding method.  The 3 in 1 spray will help prevent problems but I have better success in cutting the plant off.  

Place in a cool, dark but above-freezing space until next spring, like an unheated garage or basement.  Around 45 to 50 degrees is optimal but they can survive lower as long as the temps are above freezing.

Check periodically to see if it needs water and cut off any spindly growth.  My basement is dry and so is the air but giving them a spritz of water once a month seems enough to keep them going.

(some people have damper basements and don’t need to do this) To be honest, I don’t think about it until late winter and then I check on them but I think it would be better if I did check more often.

Around March, despite no light in my basement, the potted geraniums begin to send up new growth. The new growth is white because of the lack of light. This is the time to remove them from the basement or garage. Yours may begin this process later depending on conditions.

I place mine in my unheated greenhouse to continue growing but you could bring them indoors to a warm well-lit location or put them under grow lights.

2. Wintering Geraniums Indoors

I have seen people wintering geraniums indoors, and I do the same. I keep them in Primrose Cottage and in my office, and they bloom all winter long.

So let’s get started on indoor geranium winter care. We are assuming they were outside during the summer months.

Start when there is a danger of frost.

• Clean the plant with the spray hose to dislodge insects and other pests
• Spray with the 3 in 1 protective spray.  
• Because many insects can hide in the soil it is a good idea to remove the geranium from the soil.
• Completely clean all soil from the root ball.
• Trim the roots back if they are too long, and plant them in fresh potting soil in a container with plenty of drainage holes.
• Place it in a bright space like an eastern or southern-facing sunny window.

In the spring when temperatures stay above freezing take it outdoors and slowly acclimate the pelargonium aka geranium to the conditions outside just like you would with seedlings.

See how mine fared compared to ones kept in the basement, in soil, and without…

Overwintered Geraniums Update Video

Is your plant too big to bring into the house?  Then you can do this…

3. Take cuttings to overwinter geraniums

If you want to use this method then start at least 6 to 8 weeks before risk of frost. The warmth and length of day can affect how well your cuttings root unless you do this inside under, grow lights.

Geraniums root very easily from stem cuttings, most of the time you don’t even need rooting hormone.  You can have new geraniums growing in just a couple of weeks!

I have an entire post dedicated to it here, How to Root Geraniums from Cuttings.

You can put a few cuttings into a smaller pot that fits on your windowsill or keep them on a rack with grow lights. 

Once you have roots you can pot them in 4-inch pots which can fit on most windowsills.

When spring arrives you might find the cuttings so successful that you will have plenty of potted plants to give away as gifts.

Pot them up into larger containers or plant them out in your garden. 

4. Overwintering Bare-Root Plants in a Cardboard Box

NOTE: I have tried this method over a couple of winters and had less than impressive results though others have had great success with it.

Take the geraniums out of the soil whether in the ground or containers. Remove most of the soil from the roots. 

Let the plants air dry in a shady spot for 24 hours. Excess moisture will lead to mold and mildew.

Place the plants in a cardboard box or even a brown paper bag.  One gal I know loosely wraps them in a newspaper.

Keep them in a dark room or area that stays about 40 to 50 degrees. It needs to be dark to induce dormancy. Check them during the winter months.

Some say to spritz the roots with water once a month and another person claims you need to soak them for a good hour or two yet another says they do neither.  I am sure the method may depend upon how humid the environment is where they are stored. 

Replanting Overwintered Geraniums in Spring

How to Revive Geraniums

1. Remove the dormant geraniums from the dark area they have been stored in around March/April.
2. Cut off the stem to about 2 inches or so. If the stem is brown all the way to the roots then just toss it out. Unless there is some green on it, it is a goner.
3. Fill 4-inch pots with good potting soil and plant the geraniums in the pots leaving the stem stub above the soil line.
4. Water plants and place them in a warm location with very bright sunlight or under grow lights. In a few weeks, you should see new leaves and growth.

Bonus: Overwintering Geraniums in Unheated Greenhouse

One other way of overwintering geraniums is in an unheated greenhouse. Bring the potted geraniums into the greenhouse before the first freeze.

Water only as needed during the winter months. Watch for mold and mildew and treat with the 3 in 1 spray if needed. A gentle fan blowing can keep the air dryer to prohibit mildew.

Keeping in an unheated greenhouse works only if the interior does not freeze. I had an insulated but unheated greenhouse in a prior home and though we got below freezing temps the sun came in during the day and heated the greenhouse quite well. The insulation kept it warm overnight. Most folks don’t have this option but I wanted you to know it is a possibility if the conditions are right.  

A heated greenhouse will have the same conditions as keeping them indoors.

Do you have a favorite overwintering process for your geraniums aka pelargoniums?

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Happy Gardening in winter!

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