Trailing geraniums love soaking up the sun, but they definitely aren’t fans of our chilly winters. Since these beauties can’t handle the frost, many gardeners treat them as annuals and toss them at the end of the season. But here’s the good news: if you have a cool spot to keep them safe, you can totally help them hibernate and enjoy them again next year!
Two Great Ways to Overwinter Your Geraniums
If you’re lucky enough to have a large, bright room that stays cool, you can actually overwinter your geraniums right in their window boxes, provided they’re easy to move inside. If space is tight, don’t worry! You can also overwinter them without soil in a dark, compact spot.
Overwintering Trailing Geraniums in Window Boxes
Since trailing geranium varieties grow those gorgeous long vines, you’ll need to give them a haircut before moving them in. A good rule of thumb: the darker and cooler the room, the more you should prune them back. Make sure to pinch off any flowers, buds, and damaged leaves—this prevents rot and keeps diseases at bay. Your ideal “winter dorm” should be between 40-50°F (5-10°C). Great spots include:
- A basement with a window
- A cool hallway or stairwell
- A garage with some natural light
Stop fertilizing your geraniums in September. Once they’re in their winter quarters, just give them a little water every now and then and keep an eye out for any pests.
Overwintering Trailing Geraniums Without Soil
If you’re short on space and need to store your geraniums bare-root, here’s your game plan:
- Prune the stems back to about 4 to 8 inches.
- Aim to leave about 3 or 4 “nodes” (those little bumps on the stem).
- Strip off all the leaves, buds, and flowers.
- Carefully dig them up and shake off the excess soil.
- Trim the main roots slightly and thin out the fine root hairs.
- Place the root ball in a plastic bag and tie it loosely.
Once prepped, hang them upside down in a dark, cool spot (40-50°F). The plastic bag helps lock in moisture, which naturally settles toward the roots. The best part? You won’t need to water them at all this way!
Pro Tip:
Alternatively, you can wrap your pruned geraniums in newspaper and tuck them into a wooden crate. Just keep in mind they dry out faster this way, so you’ll need to mist the stems with water occasionally.
When to Start and How Long to Wait
Trailing geraniums (which are technically Ivy Pelargoniums from sunny Africa) have zero tolerance for frost. You should move them inside as soon as temperatures consistently dip below 50°F. While they shouldn’t live outdoors permanently until mid-May (after the last frost), you’ll want to wake them up a bit earlier:
- In April, repot your window box geraniums with fresh soil.
- If you stored them without soil, get them into pots as early as February.
- Slowly introduce them to more light and warmth.
- Set them outside during the day if the weather is nice.
- Increase watering gradually and start fertilizing again in April.
