Geranium Growing Guide
Growing Geranium is easier than you think. This guide walks you through everything you need — from planting your first seed to harvesting.
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
Also grows well as
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Snip a non-flowering shoot in late summer, let the cut dry an hour, then pot it up — pelargoniums root almost without trying, the perfect way to overwinter favourites.
The familiar bedding/pot 'geranium' is really a Pelargonium — a tender, sun-loving, drought-tolerant plant that flowers all summer in pots, beds and window boxes (it's distinct from the fully hardy 'cranesbill' geranium, a separate easy border perennial). Pelargoniums are frost-tender, so in cold climates they're grown as annuals or, better, kept year to year by rooting cuttings in late summer or bringing plants indoors over winter — they root incredibly easily.
When To Start
First Chance to Plant
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Last Chance to Plant
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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
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
- 1Full sun, free-draining soil or compost, and restraint with the watering can are the keys — these are drought-tolerant plants that flower best a little 'hard', not pampered.
- 2Deadhead often and feed lightly for non-stop colour.
- 3Their superpower is how easily they overwinter: a windowsill of cuttings keeps your collection going for years and saves buying fresh plants each spring.
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
- 1Deadhead spent flower heads (snap the whole stalk off at the base) to keep blooms coming, and pinch young plants to make them bushy.
- 2Let pots dry out between waterings — pelargoniums store water and rot if kept soggy.
- 3In autumn, take cuttings or lift and pot up plants, cut them back, and keep them somewhere bright, cool and frost-free over winter; restart in spring.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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