PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Geranium (Zonal Pelargonium)
Pelargonium × hortorum
The classic patio "geranium" with bright red, pink or white flower heads all summer. Tender — bring indoors for winter.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Geranium (Zonal Pelargonium): what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Let the compost dry slightly between waterings
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 30 cm
- Height
- 40 cm
- In pots
- Grows well in containers
- Feeding
- High-potash feed weekly in summer
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 9–11
Step by step
- Late April – late May · 2 weeks after the last spring frost
Plant
Plant in pots, window boxes or borders once frosts are over. Use a free-draining compost.
- 0–1 days after “Plant” · Late April
Water In Well
Give a full can of water, then keep moist for the first few weeks while roots establish.
- 7–14 days after “Water In Well” · Early May – mid May
Mulch Around the Base
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plant, keeping it off the stems.
Every year
- MarchCut Back and Repot
Cut overwintered plants back by half and repot into fresh compost to start them into growth.
- JuneWeekly Feeds
Feed weekly with a high-potash (tomato) feed for continuous flowers.
- JulyDeadhead
Snap off whole spent flower stalks at the base.
- OctoberBring Indoors
Before the first frost, move plants to a bright, frost-free windowsill or greenhouse and water sparingly until spring.
