Growing annual geraniums isn’t difficult. Follow these basic steps to grow your best geraniums ever.

Planting

Most geraniums crave sunshine. A full day is great except in the warmest zones, where plants thrive with shade during the hottest part of the day.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil yields best growth. For geraniums in pots, choose a commercial bagged mix developed for use in containers. In planting beds, mix organic matter like compost, rotted manure, bark fines or other locally available material into soil to improve fertility and drainage. Your geraniums will thank you with lots of blooms.

Disease Problems

Geraniums are prone to fungal diseases, which readily start on spent blooms. Remove dead flowers regularly, snapping stems off at the base. Do not toss them onto the ground beneath the plants; instead bury them in the compost pile. If rainy weather soaks flowers and you notice fuzzy fungus starting to grow on petals, remove any flowers that show mold, whether or not they’re fully open. This keeps fungus from overrunning the plant. Help prevent disease outbreaks by giving geraniums ample air circulation. Don’t crowd plants in beds and keep pots in areas where there’s good air movement.

Wintering Geraniums

You can save geraniums over winter by placing potted plants indoors near a bright east- or south-facing window.