How to Prune Geraniums

12.06.2023 - 00:56 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren

I can’t imagine a summer without geraniums. They’re so cheap at the store but they give you seemingly endless blossoms in vibrant colors that defy description.

If you aren’t into heavy garden maintenance, they’re also pretty easy to keep. They don’t demand a lot but they’ll keep offering up flowers until the deep freezes arrive.

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But if you’re willing to put in some effort, you can make your geraniums last longer and bloom even more.

If you grow your Pelargonium as an annual, your pruning job will be a lot simpler. Overwintering your plants or growing them as perennials, indoors or out? You have a slightly bigger job ahead of you.

Here’s what we’ll talk about in the guide ahead:

The steps laid out in this guide apply to both garden and scented geraniums. The only thing that varies depends on whether you grow your plants as annuals or perennials.

When should you prune your geraniums? Pretty much any old time you want.

Are the plants looking kind of rangy or thin? Break out the pruners. Have they stopped blooming? Prune away.

Is it getting droopy? Has dead blossoms? You know what to do.

Okay, the answer is pretty nebulous, but there are a few hard and fast rules for pruning.

If you overwinter your plants indoors or grow them as perennials, then you absolutely must prune twice a year, one time in the spring and once again in the fall.

You should also deadhead the flowers when they’ve begun to fade or your plant will eventually stop producing blossoms.

The tools you need depend on the size of your plant and whether you are deadheading or pruning. Deadheading can be