4 Easy Options for Overwintering Your Geraniums

Your annual geraniums don’t have to be a one-season purchase. They can live through the winter and come right back to your garden by summer, and it’s easier than most people think. I’ve been overwintering mine for years, and at this point it’s saved me a small fortune.

Here I’ll walk you through four methods I’ve tested myself, so you can save your plants and your wallet come spring.

Geraniums (Pelargonium hybrids) are usually grown as annuals, except in mild climates where they bloom outdoors year-round as perennials in zones 10 to 11. Left outside after the first hard frost, they’ll die. But they’re actually tender perennials that tolerate temperatures of 45°F or higher, and 55 to 65°F is the sweet spot when you’re overwintering them indoors.

pink geraniums in a greenhouse

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Understanding the Geranium Grow Cycle

geraniums overwintering inside the greenhouse

Geranium blooms can steal the show all summer, but a few basics make all the difference in saving them for next year once the cold weather rolls in.

Know Your Climate Zone

Geraniums are adaptable, but knowing your zone helps you plan. They grow as year-round perennials only in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11. Everywhere colder, they need help getting through winter. I garden in Zone 8b here in the Pacific Northwest, so all of mine come inside for the winter.

How Long Can Geraniums Stay in the Garden?

They’ll happily grow from late spring right up until the first frost, given plenty of sun, well-draining soil, and regular water. The first hard frost is your deadline for getting them to safety.

Why Overwintering Is Worth It

fuchsia regal geraniums in the garden

Geraniums are one of my favorite flowers for containers and window boxes. They’re little pops of cheer that never let me down.

For years, I spent over $300 on annuals every spring. Ouch. Once I learned to overwinter geraniums, that number dropped hard, and now I get the same healthy plants back season after season, plus all the new plants I start from cuttings. It feels like free plants every year.

How to Winterize Geraniums: 4 Easy Methods

seedlings and geraniums in a greenhouse

If you have an abundance of geraniums as I do (I’ll be overwintering over 170 plants this year), it’s almost always worth saving them. If you only grow a few, buying fresh in spring might be simpler and cheaper.

How many you can keep comes down to how much space you have with temperatures above 45°F all winter. Here are the four options I’ll cover:

  • Growing geraniums in pots in a greenhouse, cold frame, or as houseplants
  • Dormant bare-root storage
  • Propagating new plants from cuttings
  • Storing dormant geraniums until spring

1. Overwintering Geraniums in Pots (Greenhouse, Cold Frame, or Houseplants)

fuchsia and white geraniums in a container

This is the method I use most, because I have the space. My greenhouse stays above 45°F all winter, so my geraniums are tucked in safely all season. I currently overwinter more than 170 of them. It’s practically a second job, but one I love.

The good news is you don’t need a greenhouse. A bright window, a sunroom, or a sunny kitchen corner will keep a few plants happy until spring.

Transplanting Into a Greenhouse or Cold Frame

  • Dig the plant from its outdoor container before the first hard freeze and gently shake the soil from the roots.
  • Cut off any dead leaves, stems, spent blooms, and anything that looks unhealthy.
  • Make sure the plant is healthy and free of disease and pests, since geraniums are prone to mold when overwintering. Good air circulation is key.
  • Replant in plastic pots with drainage holes, using fresh potting mix rather than garden soil (which compacts and drains poorly in containers). Fill to about an inch from the top.
  • Water heavily right after transplanting, then let the soil dry out between waterings.
  • Keep them in direct sunlight, watch the temperature, and water only as needed. Label your plants by color with tags or color-coded groupings.
geraniums overwintering in a greenhouse

Overwintering in an Unheated Greenhouse

An unheated greenhouse still shelters plants from the worst of the weather and gives them a better shot than sitting outdoors, but they’ll need a backup in a deep cold snap. On very cold nights, cover the pots with frost cloth or blankets to hold in some warmth.

overwintering geraniums in the greenhouse

Caring for the Transplanted Plants

Check on them at least once a month through winter. Pinch the shoot tips to prevent weak, leggy growth and encourage branching, and water only if the soil needs it.

geraniums hardening off for spring

Overwintering Geraniums as Houseplants

Bringing them indoors is another solid option. Dig and pot them about six weeks before the first frost, trimming back any overly long roots, and give them a sunny spot at 55° to 65°F.

Cut the plant pack by 1-3 inches (up to half), remove anything dead or diseased, and check for pests, treating with an insecticide made for plants moving indoors. Keep them moist, pinch back shoots, and fertilize lightly come spring.

2. Dormant Bare-Root Storage

hanging geraniums upside down in garage

Geraniums are unusual among annuals. Their thick, succulent-like stems let them survive most of the winter with no soil at all, as long as they’re stored to prevent disease.

How to Store Them

  • Dig the plant before freezing temperatures arrive and shake the soil from the bare roots.
  • Prune back by about half, removing dead foliage, blooms, and anything unhealthy.
  • Choose a cool, dark, dry spot that stays above 45°F, like an unheated basement, a garage, or a shed.
  • Hang the plant upside down or set it in an open brown paper bag. Leave space for air circulation and don’t seal the bag, since mold is the enemy here.
  • Label by color with loose tags around the roots or by grouping.

Caring for Dormant Plants

  • Once or twice over the winter, soak the roots in warm water for one to two hours, then let the plant dry completely before returning it to the bag.
  • Check the stems every couple of weeks. They should stay firm even as the leaves die. Toss any with shriveled stems or mold right away.
overwintering your geraniums:

Reviving Them in Spring

  • Cut back dead stem tips and any excessively long roots.
  • Soak the bare roots for a few hours to rehydrate before potting.
  • Pot up about six weeks before your last frost, using moist potting soil and burying the plant two leaf nodes deep to form roots.
  • Water thoroughly, then set in a sunny window. New growth usually appears in two to four weeks.

3. Take Cuttings from Outdoor Plants

holding a geranium cutting with orange and white gloves

A cutting is just a stem removed from the parent plant to grow into a new, independent geranium. It’s an easy way to turn one plant into several.

If indoor space is tight or you want more plants for next year, cuttings are the way to go. Geraniums root easily, even without rooting hormone, and the baby plants take up far less room than the whole mother plant. Better yet, the new plants often bloom even more of the following season.

taking cuttings from a geranium plant

Take your cuttings, root them in water or a light soil mix, then move them into small pots once roots develop. Keep them in the sun and watch their humidity. My full walkthrough, “How to Start Geranium Cuttings“, has step-by-step instructions.

One more reason to take cuttings: the longer you keep a geranium, the woodier its stems get and the less it flowers. Starting fresh plants keeps your collection young and blooming.

4. Overwintering Dormant Geraniums

paper bag over geraniums for overwintering

This method is like hibernating a full-size plant for the winter, then waking it up in spring. It’s similar to bare-root storage, but the plant stays in its pot.

Steps to Overwinter Dormant Geraniums

  • Transplant from the garden into plastic pots before the first frost and cut back about half. Let the soil dry out.
  • Set an overturned paper bag over each plant.
  • Store the pots in a cool, dark, unheated, slightly damp basement or garage.
  • Check every few weeks. If leaves or stems start to shrivel, mist them or lightly water the roots, then let the plant dry before re-covering.
greenhouse with flower containers on the steps

Reviving Dormant Geraniums

  • About six to eight weeks before your average last frost, move the plants to indirect light.
  • Cut off dead leaves and trim stems back to healthy green growth.
  • Give them a thorough watering and a diluted dose of fertilizer.

Tips for Replanting Geraniums After Winter Storage

geraniums hardening off outdoors
  • Always harden off your geraniums before they go back outside. This means gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions so the transition doesn’t shock them.
  • Wait until all danger of frost has passed to replant. May is usually my window here in zone 8b, and I add a time-release fertilizer when I transplant.

Month-By-Month Overwintering Schedule for Geraniums

Rather than a rigid calendar, here’s the seasonal rhythm I actually follow with my own plants.

September: Early Prep

geranium cuttings in a pot with dirt
  • Watch the forecast, since frost can sneak up fast.
  • Start taking cuttings to multiply your plants.
  • Gradually cut back on fertilizer so the plant starts slowing down.

October: Move-In Month

geraniums overwintering in the greenhouse
  • Before the first hard frost, decide on your method (pots, cuttings, or dormant storage).
  • Trim leggy growth and check for pests before bringing anything indoors.
  • Repot into fresh soil if you’re keeping them as houseplants.

November: Settle and Adjust

  • Plants may drop leaves or look a little sulky. Don’t panic, they’re just adjusting.
  • Water lightly but consistently, and double-check that dormant-storage areas are cool and dry.

December: Rest Mode

  • Resist the urge to fuss. Overwatering or over-fertilizing is the fastest way to lose plants this time of year.
  • Do a quick pest and mold check once a month.

January: The Midwinter Check-In

geraniums overwintering in the greenhouse
  • Dormant plants: rehydrate bare roots briefly if they feel too dry.
  • Houseplants: pinch back weak growth.
  • Greenhouse and pot-stored plants: rotate for even light.

February: Wake-Up Call

geranium starts in individual containers in the greenhouse
  • Start cuttings now if you haven’t already.
  • Give houseplants a touch of fertilizer to encourage new growth.
  • Begin planning where your geraniums will go in the garden.

March: Transition Time

inside the greenhouse with seedlings and overwintered greenhouse
  • Dormant plants: repot in soil about six weeks before your last frost.
  • Slowly increase watering in light.
  • Start hardening off on milder days by setting plants outside for a few hours.

April: Spring Training

hardening off geraniums on the deck
  • All overwintered geraniums should be in active growth mode now.
  • Keep hardening them off daily.
  • Start pinching tips for bushier plants.

May: Back to the Garden

fuchsia geraniums in the garden
  • Once frost danger passes (mid-April to early May in my PNW garden), transplant outdoors.
  • Add a slow-release fertilizer at planting.
  • Stand back and enjoy the fact that you just saved a bundle and kept your whole geranium family alive through winter.

Common Questions About Overwintering Geraniums

Can I Leave Geraniums Outside Over Winter?

geraniums planted in a vintage container

It depends on your climate and the type of geranium. Annual geraniums aren’t frost-tolerant and won’t survive freezing temperatures, so in most regions they need protection or to be moved indoors. A few things to keep in mind:

  • Climate zone: In zones 10 and 11, mild winters often let you leave geraniums outside year-round.
  • Annual vs. perennial: Annual geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum) won’t survive a freeze. Hardy perennial geraniums tolerate frost and light freezes, especially in cooler climates.
  • Protection: In cold regions, cover plants with frost blankets or move them near a building where they catch heat radiating off the walls.
  • Containers: Move potted geraniums to a sheltered spot such as a garage or shed, with some indirect light.
  • Mulching: For hardy perennials in the ground, mulch around the base in late fall to insulate the roots.

Can I Overwinter Geraniums in the Garage?

Yes, and a garage is a great option for protecting them from freezing temperatures.

  • Before the first frost, dig up in-ground plants and shake off excess soil (don’t wash the roots), or move potted ones inside.
  • Trim back to about a third of their size to reduce their water and nutrient needs during dormancy.
  • Pot any in-ground plants into containers with drainage holes and a well-draining mix.
  • Place them where they’ll get indirect light near a window, or use grow lights if natural light is limited. Keep the garage cool but above freezing, around 45° to 50°F.
  • Water sparingly, only when the soil is dry to the touch but not bone dry. Check periodically for pests and disease and remove affected growth. Add frost cloths in an extreme cold snap.

Can You Bring Geraniums Indoors for Winter and Keep Them Growing?

Yes. With the right care, geraniums brought inside will keep growing as houseplants.

  • Bring them in before the first frost so they can adjust before the weather turns.
  • Trim back by a third to a half for bushier growth and lower nutrient demand.
  • Pot in-ground plants in containers with drainage holes and well-draining soil, preserving as much root ball as possible.
  • Give them a sunny window with at least 6 hours of direct light, or grow lights. Keep them at 60° to 70°F. during the day, away from heating vents.
  • Let the soil dry slightly between waterings to avoid root rot, and fertilize with a balanced, water-soluble feed every 4 to 6 weeks. Pinch off dead leaves and spent blooms to keep new growth coming.

How Long Do Geraniums Live Indoors?

With proper care, indoor geraniums can live and stay healthy for several years, not just a single season.

How Often Should You Water Indoor Geraniums?

geraniums starts growing in individual pots in the greenhouse

It varies with pot size, potting mix, and conditions, but the finger test is your best guide. Stick a finger about an inch into the soil, and water only if it’s dry at that depth. A few rules of thumb:

  • During the growing season (spring to early fall), that usually works out to every 7 to 10 days.
  • Hydrate the entire root ball by watering thoroughly from the bottom. Always use pots with drainage holes.
  • In winter, when growth slows, cut back every two to four weeks, or whenever the soil is dry. In very dry indoor air, a humidity tray or occasional misting helps.

Final Thoughts on Overwintering Geraniums

overwintering geraniums in the greenhouse

Winter doesn’t have to be the end of the road for your geraniums. With a little planning and the right method, you can keep them thriving and enjoy their blooms year after year. I love knowing the same cheerful flowers I tucked into pots in late fall will be waiting for me when the weather warms.

Whether you bring your plants indoors, store them in a dormant state, or start fresh geraniums from cuttings, there’s an option to fit your specific space and lifestyle. Which method do you think you’ll try? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

Kim Signature

I’m a self-taught hobby gardener. Everything I share on my blog is my opinion and what has worked for me.

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Kim is the creator of Shiplap and Shells, where she shares life in her 1920s beach cottage and Pacific Northwest garden. Along with her husband and two pups, Jax and Ollie, she's spent the past 13 years turning their little seaside home into a cozy space filled with vintage charm, blooming gardens, and everyday moments worth savoring.

32 Comments

  1. I have been taking my geraniums out of their pots and storing them bare rooted in my crawlspace under my house for years. I live in far northern Wisconsin. I cut the plants back and pile them into a big cardboard box. most of the plants make it through the winter. I pull the box full of plants out of the crawlspace in early March and plant them in big pots, many together. They look dead when I first plant them. I put them in front of a sunny window and start watering them.

    Reply

    1. I am so sorry for missing your comment Judy. I love the technique you use to overwinter your geraniums. It sounds like an easy process. I might try doing this for a couple of plants this year to see if it would work for all of them going forward. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
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  10. Hi Kim
    I live in Montreal, Quebec. I take the geraniums that are already in pots and bring them indoors and place them on a sunny windowsill. They continue to bloom all winter long that way.
    The ones that are planted in the garden, I put them in paper bags and hang them upside down in a cold cellar.
    If they have a little sleeve surrounding the roots, should I cut that out?
    I don’t remember what I did last year.
    Thank you for all the information you have provided.

    Reply

    1. Mary, I am so sorry I missed this comment. I’m sure you have already figured this out since I haven’t replied for many months. I love that you hang the geraniums from your garden in a bag. I haven’t personally done that but I would love to hear how you like this method compared to bringing them indoors. If you still need any help, please email me directly at [email protected]
      I promise I will work harder to address your comments from these blog posts more quickly in the future.

      Reply
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  12. I tried overwintering by keeping them in garden bags in my garage just outside of Boston, MA. They did not come back at all! I am going to try keeping them in their pot this winter inside. So I should cut them down by half. Then water as needed. I’m a litter nervous.

    Reply

    1. I am so sorry I didn’t respond to this email Chris. I missed it for some reason, and I feel awful. I hope your geraniums are doing better this winter. Please let me know! I have never personally left mine in a bag but have always left them indoors. And I do promise they will grow back after cutting them back if they are healthy. Mine are just starting to grow again but before that they looked absolutely awful! I look forward to hearing how they are doing. Again, I’m so sorry for not getting back to you.

      Reply

  13. i have a large shed that i converted into a cat shed for strays and other wild animals that is heated to about 55-60 degrees. i bring in all my potted plants for the winter including begonias, callas, geraniums, lime tree, dahlia and others watering once every 3 weeks. they come back every year but i have to gradually get them use to the outside in the spring thats the hard part. is it the same in a green house? i always wanted to have one. the info you shared is very helpful!

    Reply

    1. I don’t know what happened but I didn’t see your email until now. I didn’t see many of the questions that people asked about their geraniums. I’m so sorry for that. I hope that you are seeing that with your temps being as warm as they are that they should be overwintering quite nicely. It sounds like you have a great plan when it comes to voerwintering your plants. Again, I apologize for nor getting back to you when you asked your question. I hope you give me another chance. Thank you!

      Reply

  14. Hi Kim, I was excited to find you recently on IG and looking forward to reading your blog. I decided to try to save money and save most my Geraniums for next spring so this blog came just at the time I needed it. I plan to leave them in the pots/hanging baskets. So I have trimmed them back and placed them in the guest room by the windows. And closed off the heat to that room so it will stay cooler. Do I need to water at all and should I put a paper bag over them? I might try some clippings too.

    Reply
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  17. This is so timely! I am digging up my geraniums today. I plan to take a bunch of cuttings and get them going over winter. I’ve never heard of the bare root storage option before. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  18. Kim, I love this post! Every year we take our huge geranium pots and transport them to our mountain cabin over the summer. The heat in Phoenix kills the geraniums and the love the cooler mountain air. Then in October we drive them back down to Phoenix for the winter. However this is a big chore as we have many big pots. I’ve thought about overwintering them but it gets too cold in the mountains. Also I have fond memories of my mother creating new plants from cuttings. Really informative post! Now I have to think about what to do.

    Reply

    1. That’s a lot of work! You must love geraniums as much as I do! I love taking the cuttings not only to start new plants but also because the mother plant eventually stops blooming and gets way too leggy. Thank you so much for your feedback, Mary.

      Reply

  19. Kim, your property, gardens and home are breathtakingly beautiful! Do you do any “in person” tours? I’m getting ready to prepare my geraniums for storing and will be pulling up my dahlia tubers when it’s time. I actually live on the KP also, have just retired and have been reading your posts for the last hour. Thank you for sharing such great information.
    Terry Fandel

    Reply

    1. Hi Terry! Thank you for being here. There won’t be much to see in a few weeks. I usually don’t do tours because of the security issues that come with it. But I always love meeting KP neighbors so I’m sure we could work something out.

      Reply

  22. Kim these are such helpful tips! How warm do you keep your greenhouse over the winter?
    This is my first year growing geraniums and I have about 10 scented geraniums that I want to save. Perfect timing for your blog post!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad Jen! I have a heated greenhouse that is temperature controlled so I’m lucky. But I am doing some research and finding some interesting ideas, one of them is using bubble wrap.

      Reply

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