Geranium/Pelargonium

How can I tell what I have got out of the two

I have heard that you can keep a Geranium over winter, and take cuttings
But you Can NOT overwinter a Pelargonium or take cuttings

I have about twelve of these plants in pots around the garden,bought in June
and I am afraid I never even thought about keeping the labels

I was hoping to stick them all in the soon to be empty green house over winter

I did strip two of the plants down to 3" and used the cut off's as cuttings, about thirty in individual 2" pots of compost, pearlite, and some water retaining beads (or something like water retaining somat's that look like snails eggs) at my first attempt at saving something in a garden

If you chuck them in the green house do you have to water them everyweek or just let them dry out and die?

Not having the time or inclination to be a gardener previously, I just seem to remember the MIL whose bungalow in the country was covered in window boxes full of geraniums, which she then stuck in the garage over winter, and in Spring, we would go retrieve them, knock everything (as it was dead dry stalks and compost) into a bin, and go buy them all again (Not much success there then :-)

Jack McHammocklashing

 

Hi Jack; to me I always think as Geraniums as hardy garden plants; although there are one or two trickier ones, these are best propergated by division;

geranium - Google Search

I think as Pelargoniums as non-hardy bedding/house plants that need winter protection to keep for the following year, or you can take cuttings;

geranium - Google Search

Hope this helps a little :thumb:

 

What most people think of as geraniums (red, pink, white, go in window boxes etc, definitely not hardy) are actually pelargoniums. True geraniums are tough, hardy plants related to the native cranesbill which happily stay out in the garden all winter and pop up next year. You would normally propagate these by division in autumn or spring. I'm sure you are talking about pelargoniums, which you can take cuttings from (I did some a couple of weeks ago) and you can overwinter, but it must be in a frost-free place. The trick is to keep them fairly dry over the winter. I kept some small ones successfully last year and they have given a great show this summer.

 

The true geranium (meadow cranesbill) or wild geranium, is hardy like they say. Anything else in my eyes is a nasty hybrid.

 

Hello Jack - your pelargoniums be they'Zonal' ( referred to as geraniums ) or Regals can survive easily through winter as long as they do not dry out completely. A little water now and again should suffice and of course they should be kept frost free. The same thing applies to the cuttings you have taken.

 

Thank you Lorna, explains it nicely
I must have pelagonioms, they were bought along with bedding plants, about June from one of the Home Base/BnQ sale to the masses stores, and are soft pink red and white, still have the delicious geranium leaf smell though when you touch them
Well my first winter garden experience is about to be thrown at me,
I expect and hope to learn, as I have since April with my first summer garden and greenhouse experience
I am sure next year I will not make the same mistakes I made this year

Live and learn, thanks to all on GC

Jack McH

 

Jack,

If you take a look at CosmosGuy's thread in the Id section, you will see his top picture is a geranium (Cranesbill).