How to Grow Geranium
Geranium At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 2°C
Plant Family
Geraniaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
In late summer, before your first frost, snip a 10 cm shoot with no flowers just below a leaf joint and pull off the lower leaves. Let the cut end dry for an hour, then push it into a small pot of damp potting mix and keep it on a bright windowsill. It roots in a few weeks and gives you a free plant for next spring.
The geranium you see in pots and window boxes is really a pelargonium, a plant from a warm climate that cannot take frost. It is different from the hardy wild geranium (cranesbill) that comes back in flower beds each year. Geraniums root so easily from cuttings that one plant can keep you in flowers for many years.
When To Start
Geranium needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Geranium?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Geranium Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Geranium Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant geraniums out in full sun after the frost
1 week after your last frost· every year
Snap off faded geranium flowers to keep them blooming
30 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Take geranium cuttings or bring the plants indoors before frost
2 weeks before your first frost· every year· optional
Water your new geranium plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Hi from your growing space! Geraniums like lots of sun and soil that dries out a little between waterings.
About 30 days after you plant it
Looking good! Snap off faded flower heads to keep fresh blooms coming.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Geranium's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
30 cm
Plant Spacing
30 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give geraniums full sun, at least 6 hours a day, for the most flowers.
- 2Plant them in well-drained potting mix with a little compost.
- 3Let the top 2 to 3 cm of soil dry out before watering, since soggy roots rot.
- 4Feed with compost tea every 2 to 3 weeks in summer, but not too much, or you get leaves instead of flowers.
- 5Pick off yellow leaves and give plants space for air to flow, which keeps grey mould away.
- 6Geraniums are toxic to cats and dogs, so keep pets from chewing them.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
45 cm
Mature Height
40 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Blooms all summer; thrives on heat, sun and a bit of neglect
How to Harvest
- 1Snap off each faded flower stalk at its base to keep new flowers coming.
- 2Pinch the tips of young plants to make them bushy.
- 3Before your first fall frost, take cuttings, or dig up whole plants and pot them.
- 4Cut potted plants back by about half and keep them in a bright, cool room for winter, watering only when the soil is dry.
- 5In spring, move them back outside after the last frost, and they flower again.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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