7 top tips on how to care for geraniums
Looking for great advice for getting a garden full of gorgeous geraniums? Look no further!
Geraniums are a popular perennial that will bloom for months and months!
These hardy plants are fairly easy to care for so they’re a great choice if you’re busy or new to gardening and are looking to add a long-lasting splash of colour to your gardens. If cared for well, geraniums can flower from May right through to October!
Here’s seven top tips on caring for geraniums – keeping them healthy and looking their best:
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Choose the right spot in your garden
Geraniums prefer full sun, but they can also tolerate partial shade. Try to plant in a spot that gets around six hours of sun throughout the day.
Geraniums look great in borders mixed with other bedding plants as well as in baskets, containers or pots.
Keep your geraniums well-watered
Geraniums need to be watered regularly enough to keep the soil moist and the roots happy but not waterlogged. Water them deeply at least once a week, and more regularly during the warmer summer months. The easiest way to tell if your plant needs water is by popping your finger into the soil around 2-3 inches deep – if the soil feels dry, it’s likely that your plant is pretty thirsty.
Make sure that your containers have good drainage. If you have pots on patios during heavy rain, be sure to use pot feet or bricks to lift your pots up out of the water to allow them to drain.
Fertilise for bigger, healthier geraniums
Geraniums benefit from regular feeding to promote healthy growth and plenty of vibrant blooms.
Use a quality all-purpose feed like Miracle-Gro’s All Purpose Concentrated Plant Food every 2 weeks or so. Be sure to dilute as the packaging directs.
How to deadhead geraniums
Remove faded or dying blooms regularly to encourage the plant to produce more flowers. Pinch off the dead flowers along the stem to the next leaf node and any yellowing leaves to keep the plant looking its best.
Prune to avoid a leggy plant
Geraniums can grow leggy over time, so it’s good to prune them as needed to keep them looking full and healthy. Pinch back the stems to promote bushy growth, and remove any dead or damaged branches.
Protect from pests
Geraniums can be susceptible to pests like aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Keep an eye out for any signs of infestation, and treat the plant with an insecticide like Miracle-Gro Bug Clear.
Prepare for winter
Want your geraniums to come back again next year? Take a cutting as back-up to propagate before you cut back ready for winter-storage. You’ll need to prune all of the flowers and trim the stems to about a third of their length to be stored indoors before autumn.
Any temperatures below 10°C will pause the growth of your geraniums.
Stick to these top tips and your garden will be full of pops of colour from your healthy geraniums!
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