Keeping Geraniums overwinter

[Fourmoos]

I usually do cuttings of my geraniums to overwinter in my conservatory but I am thinking to make life easier and just bring the actual plants indoors and cut them back to overwinter in flowerpots. My question is, how long would the original plant live? Would it last years like this? Thanks for any advice.

Are we talking pelargonium geraniums? Mine have lasted years.
They have also overwintered outside (apart from the one year they didn't! Trouble is, you don't know in advance which year that will be.)

Yes, pelargoniums.

Yes I have done this for years too. The plants get a bit woody but resprout well from cutting back. Or you can take fresh cuttings in spring if you want to replace any. I also leave them outside - as pp said it’s a gamble if they survive then. Usually fine if you wrap the pot in fleece - sometimes survive wiany protection.

Without any protection not wiany!

I do it mostly with scented leaf pelargoniums and they flower sporadically all winter which is a bonus

Thank you. I think that’s what I will do this year and just take cuttings in the future if the original plant gets too woody.

I keep my pelargoniums in the conservatory (unheated but south facing) where they continue to flower all winter. If a plant gets too straggly, I take all the tips off as cuttings, and cut the main plant back drastically. But not as often as I should because I hate cutting off flower buds.