Total beginner - geraniums

[SnugglySnerd]

Hi. I'm hoping someone can explain to me in simple terms how to look after geraniums in winter. They are currently in a ready made hanging basket in the front of the house which gets sun in the afternoon.
I don't have a greenhouse. I do have a garage but no light gets in. Is there any way I can help them to survive the winter?

overwinter pelargoniums

a windowsill or porch is good.

If it's a mild winter and it's a sheltered spot you can move them to they may last- you can see where I live and mine made it through last years winter. I'm an utter novice too in the garden so it's a bit hit and miss. Geraniums are pretty hardy but they are cheap so if they die off I wouldn't be too gutted. Maybe insulate them a bit? I'm moving mine to next to the back door and keeping my fingers crossed but if it gets bitter cold I might move them into a garage while it lasts and hope for the best.

Thank you. I could easily find some window sill space I think.
I also like the idea of taking cuttings. Could I do that in spring?

Cuttings I think you can take any time as long as you've got somewhere warm and dry to keep them going over the winter. I usually have some in a greenhouse, some in an outhouse that is frost free and light, some on a windowledge and some just left in a sheltered spot outside.

Mostly they all survive!

Thanks I'll give it a go!

My mum used to bring them in in winter but I don't and they seem to come back (South West). They were the first thing I learnt to not kill as they like being ignored!

But do pinch out all the dead heads to reveal the buds beneath and they will keep on coming. Sometimes in spring I remove brown bits and trim them and drain any water-logged pots.

Invest in some Geranium Rozanne the RHS plant of the 20th century - they're indestructible and don't even need dead heading. www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/2013-stories/plant-of-the-centenary

Thank you. Dead heading is another think I'm unsure about. I never know whether to just pull out the faded flower or whether to cut off the whole thing with secateurs.

I got round this problem by killing them all in August.

Snuggly with geraniums it's worth taking of the individual flowers as they go brown. Underneath you'll reveal the buds, which you lose if you lop of the lot. I find it best to do them whenever I spot them, several times a week. It's about the only gardening I've had time to do this year.

Thanks. It that the same with petunias? Mine didn't last long despite a lot of dead heading but others I've seen in people's front gardens are still flowering.

Snuggly my petunias were terrible this year, despite the usual care and deadheading. I think it has been a cold summer (where I am anyway) which makes a difference.