Hi everyone I would like some info on these two plants,I have a varigated geranium and a rose begonia they are both doing nicely, as I brought them both indoors last week. my question is do I cut the geranium back after it's done flowering? and how much? the begonia looks like a mini rose so pretty. thanks for any info.
geraniums & begonias
your geranium is a pelargonium and should be brought in to somewhere cool but bright for the winter. dont water it too often either.
the begonia - if tuberous rooted - should be left outside until the leaves are blacken in the first frost. lift it and cut off all stems and store in damp peat which will prevent it drying out.
Mark
Does it matter if the tubers dry out? I dry mine in the air, then put them in paper bags in my basement. So far, so good now for two years.
I pulled my zonal geraniums, shook the soil off the roots, and cut back the top growth to about 5". Those, too, I put in paper bags over the winter. A few didn't sprout when I potted them up, but I had 5 out of 8 come back nicely. It would have been simpler to leave them in pots, but I have limited areas with bright light in our home, and I save my grow lights for the flats I start in February. :O)
I have to bring in the geraniums too!?? Someone sent me a bunch this spring(thanks kim)I didnt know i had to lift them. If so can I just pot them and grow them as houseplants-its already a jungle in here!!! =]
dori
Notmartha, there are two kinds of plants called geraniums. The best-known is the pelargoniums, what most people think of when we say geranium. They are not hardy and have to be brought in.
There are also hardy geraniums aka cranesbills. They can be left in the ground. You'll need to find out which it is you've got before frost.