Ideal for borders, pots, baskets and window boxes, geraniums fill your garden with colour
Image: Geranium ‘Tall Dark and Handsome Hot Pink’ from Thompson & Morgan

If you love geraniums (pelargoniums) and want to grow your own from seed, cuttings or plug plants, we’ve scoured the internet to find the most helpful online content. With advice on overwintering, taking cuttings, troubleshooting, and suggestions for new varieties to try, these experienced garden bloggers have a wealth of knowledge to share. Here’s everything you need to know to grow your own glorious geraniums.

Rachel Brown – DIY Garden

Container grown geraniums can be easily moved inside to protect from front.
Image: Geranium ‘Octavia Hill’ from Thompson & Morgan

For a comprehensive overview of how to care for pelargoniums, look no further than Rachel Brown’s excellent article for DIY Garden. Packed with information, including why geraniums aren’t really geraniums at all, her guide shares loads of helpful tips on how to grow these lovely blooms. According to Rachel, most viral infections stem from dirty equipment – so “tools such as knives or secateurs should be cleaned and ideally sterilised before use.” Wondering when’s best to fertilise? Rachel is your go-to source for excellent, practical advice.

David Taylor – Pelargonium and Geranium Society

Pelargoniums looking their wonderful best
Image: The Pelargonium and Geranium Society

If you’d like to watch while someone who really knows what they’re doing shows you how to take a cutting from a Regal Pelargonium, David Taylor (aka Mr Pelargonium) is the man for you. A member of the Pelargonium and Geranium Society, David is an expert on cloning pelargoniums. The trick, he says, is keeping part of the stem attached to your cutting to make sure you get plenty of growth hormone. Do take a moment to watch his video as he demonstrates on one of the plants from his own collection.

Tejvan Pettinger – Gardeners Tips

Tejvan says regal geraniums are a must for sizzling colour display
Image: Gardeners Tips

It’s because the genus Pelargonium is native to warm, sunny South Africa that it needs such careful overwintering, says Tejvan at Gardeners Tips. If you’re searching for helpful advice on how best to protect your favourite plants from the ravages of Jack Frost, check out Tejvan’s article on overwintering geraniums. If space is an issue, he says “zonal Geraniums are going to be cheap and plentiful next year … they may be the ones to sacrifice.”

Andrew O’Brien – Gardens Weeds & Words

It was love at first sight when Andrew saw Pelargonium ‘Shannon’
Image: Gardens Weeds & Words

For those whose thoughts are turning to which zonal pelargoniums (geraniums) to grow next season, head over to Gardens, Weeds and Words where you’ll find plenty of inspiration in  Andrew O’Brien’s review of pelargoniums. He recommends ‘Chocolate’, ‘Lord Bute’, and species type ‘Pelargonium sidoides’, among others. Andrew wasn’t a fan of geraniums as a child, but has since developed something of a fascination for them – his enthusiasm will soon have you hooked too.

Jill Anderson – Growing Nicely

Scented Pelargonium ‘Attar of Roses’ is sometimes used to flavour jam
Image: Growing Nicely

Jill Anderson, creator of the brilliant blog Growing Nicely, suggests practical design ideas for creating fabulous displays of geraniums. An experienced horticulturist and garden designer who also takes wonderful photos, she says scented pelargoniums have foliage that release their perfume when rubbed, making them perfect for patio containers. Like the ivy leaf variety? Pop it into a window box, Jill says – the trailing effect is very effective.

Gwen Ward – Perfect Pelargoniums

Enjoy the stunning blooms on this zonal Geranium ‘Horizon F1 Appleblossom’
Image: Geranium ‘Horizon F1 Appleblossom’ from Thompson & Morgan

Read about the history behind the first Pelargonium to arrive in Europe from South Africa. Find out why Pelargonium triste is known as ‘the sad Geranium’ and what the term ‘indicum’ meant to those who first grew this novel plant in 1632. Self confessed ‘Pellynut’ Gwen Ward, secretary of the Pelargonium and Geranium Society, has a lifetime of experience growing show-worthy pelargoniums. Filled with humour and great photography, her blog Perfect Pelargoniums brings the passion back into Pelargonium growing.

Mandy Watson – MandyCanUDigIt

Geranium ‘Tommy’ is one of Mandy’s favourites
Image: MandyCanUDigIt

Just starting out in your geranium-growing career? Mandy Watson, the creator of popular gardening blog MandyCanUDigIt, recommends growing pelargoniums in pots. Pots can be easily brought inside and keep the “drought resistant” pelargonium happy. For simplicity – she recommends purchasing plug plants which can be put straight into pots. Mandy says pelargonium scents range from citrus to cedar and even Coca Cola! Check out her article to see her lovely photography.

Noel Kingsbury – Noel Kingsbury’s Blog

Noel recommends Angel varieties like ‘Mosquitaway Eva’ for very dry gardens
Image: Geranium ‘Mosquitaway Eva’ from Thompson & Morgan

Pelargoniums come into their own in drought conditions, writes well-known garden designer Noel of Noel Kingsbury’s Blog, who recommends scented-leaf and Angel varieties for drought tolerance. Read all about his experiments with pelargoniums for a Portugese dry garden. This article offers an excellent resource for anyone wanting to plant in dry soil or for those keen to evoke a scented Mediterranean landscape here in the UK.

Katharine Woods – The Tea Break Gardener

Katharine loves the electric colour of Pelargonium ardens, a species Pelargonium
Image: The Tea Break Gardener

Regal Pelargonium ‘Lord Bute’ comes top of The Tea Break Gardener, Katharine’s six favourite Pelargoniums to grow in pots – think vibrant burgundy petals. She also discusses her love of varieties whose blooms are edged in contrasting shades – like ‘Mystery’ which produces petals of a “wine red colour, edged in claret”. Katherine says they “glow” in the twilight! A great place to start if you’re just setting out on your geranium-growing journey, Katherine has lots of useful tips and some really stunning photography.

Michael Perry – Mr Plant Geek

The blooms of the ‘Rosebud Collection’ look spectacular in hanging baskets & patio containers
Image: Geranium ‘Rosebud Collection’ from Thompson & Morgan

Do you live in an urban landscape with little space for growing? Over at Mr Plant Geek, Michael Perry presents a fresh take on how to grow geraniums in the city, describing the Zetter townhouse installation, ‘Geraniums at the door’, (part of the 2018 garden festival Chelsea Fringe) as a “chance to look at geraniums anew.” Here you’ll also find out why pelargoniums are a natural insect repellent and how they’re used in traditional South African medicine.

@poppyokotcha

Ecological gardening proponent Poppy is a hands-on grower
Image: @poppyokotcha

If you love the fragrance of geraniums, you’ll enjoy Poppy’s insta video over @poppyokotcha showing how to make your own bath salts using lavender, geranium, and other favourite essential oils. A great way to enjoy geraniums even when they’re overwintering in the greenhouse, these bath salts are super easy to make, and a wonderful way to enjoy the scent of summer as you enjoy a soak in the tub.

Geraniums are so much more than annual bedding plants – no wonder they’ve been a staple of the UK gardening scene for over 300 years. We hope you’ve enjoyed our best of the best geranium articles from the web, and if you’re looking for even more, check out our geraniums hub page – but if we’ve missed one of your favourite blog posts, videos, or articles – do let us know. We always love to hear from you.