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Geraniums

darrencneldarrencnel Posts: 17
in Problem solving
Hi all, I feel I have made a rookie mistake with my lovely geraniums and am wondering if anything can be done to save them. I planted 3 geranium piramide last summer along with a large number of rozzanne (directly into soil flower bed). I did not take them out of the ground to over winter or prune in autumn. I am in the south of England and we have had a very mild winter so far. I am wondering whether I should prune back and whether they will come back in the spring or are they likely to be dead. I have attached pics of what the piramide look like now. The Rozanne look the same just on a smaller scale 
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  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    They'll be fine, they are hardy perennials which have been dormant over winter.  I cut them down to ground level about now, they will start to re-shoot next month.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hardy geraniums are just that - totally hardy. Its pelargoniums which are the half hardy ones. No need to worry   :)
    Your photos haven't worked @darrencnel - they might be too big. That tends to stop them loading properly. If you keep them around 1MB or smaller, that helps   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • OliyaOliya Posts: 228
    I have a question about hardy geraniums too… mine look pretty happy with nice green foliage. Do I still need to give them a trim? I didn’t trim them at all in the autumn.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Trimming them now will induce them to put on strong new growth in Spring. Your plants may also be big enough to divide next month when new shoots start to emerge - more plants for free!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You don't really need to do anything to them unless you want to, but when the foliage is tatty you can certainly take that off for aesthetic reasons, but avoid cutting into the newer growth if there is any. I don't have any greenery on mine at this time of year, so I only remove any old stems that are there - if I can be bothered.  ;)

    You can do the same later on as well , after they've flowered and look rough. They appreciate being cut back at that point and will sometimes give a 2nd flush of flowers, depending on variety and where you are.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited February 2022
    You can leave last year's green foliage intact if you want to @Oliya, but cutting the plants to ground level now, avoiding any new shoots, will encourage them to grow stronger and produce flowers earlier.

    If you decide to divide your plants next month, all last year's leaves should be removed so that the plant concentrates its energy on root growth without the need to support old leaves, before the new vigorous shoots emerge.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • OliyaOliya Posts: 228
    @Plantminded @Fairygirl
    thank you for advice:) I’ll take a closer look at the geraniums tomorrow. I’ve only been in this house for half a year so I didn’t even see some of these geraniums blossom. They’re in the front garden and, as I’ve mentioned, they look remarkably healthy so I’m worried the garden will look very strange and bare if I trim them down to the ground…
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Don't worry, @Oliya, there'll be no harm done either way.  I grow many species of hardy geraniums and am always impressed with their willingness to please.  Enjoy them!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • OliyaOliya Posts: 228
    Thank you @Plantminded 😊
  • darrencneldarrencnel Posts: 17
    Thank you all for your helpful advice, @fairygirl, I have managed to reduce the picture sizes so hopefully they can be viewed. I plan to cut the old growth down as advised. I take it I will have to tie in the new growth as they grow to maintain the same upright look 
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