Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College Dublin

"Timothy Murphy" wrote ...

Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?


It's usual to take cuttings for overwintering Pelagoniums not keep the old
plant which by then is usually not looking at it's best, although that may
be just because I've taken all those cuttings. :-)
Professional gardens do plant in pots in bedding displays to make it easier
to swap plants as they come in and out of season.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:11:53 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?

Planting in pots is a landscaping trick - easy to remove the plants
once they're past their best and replace them with something else.

I just lift the pelargoniums (which is what the annuals are, really)
at the end of the season. Wrap the root balls in newspaper and box up
in the attic for the winter. Then in early spring I pot them up and
use them for cuttings for the current year's plants. I've found that
whilst keeping the parents will result in bigger plants in the
following year, they tend to get leggy and end up overwhelming their
planting space - they seem out of proportion to their neighbouring
plants in mixed planting.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

On 20/03/2012 16:43, Jake wrote:
On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:11:53 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?

Planting in pots is a landscaping trick - easy to remove the plants
once they're past their best and replace them with something else.

I just lift the pelargoniums (which is what the annuals are, really)
at the end of the season. Wrap the root balls in newspaper and box up
in the attic for the winter. Then in early spring I pot them up and
use them for cuttings for the current year's plants. I've found that
whilst keeping the parents will result in bigger plants in the
following year, they tend to get leggy and end up overwhelming their
planting space - they seem out of proportion to their neighbouring
plants in mixed planting.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

I kept some stuffed into pots with the bare minimum of compost and put
them in a cold frame. Right now the bigger plants look to have survived,
but the cuttings taken July time look decidedly iffy. The leaves have
turned red and look to be drooping. Should I have taken the cuttings
earlier?
When you say "early spring", I guess you keep them under glass when
potted up? I don't really have room so they'll have to stay as they are
for another month or so

On Mar 20, 5:37*pm, stuart noble wrote:
On 20/03/2012 16:43, Jake wrote:





On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:11:53 +0100, Timothy Murphy
*wrote:

Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?

Planting in pots is a landscaping trick - easy to remove the plants
once they're past their best and replace them with something else.

I just lift the pelargoniums (which is what the annuals are, really)
at the end of the season. Wrap the root balls in newspaper and box up
in the attic for the winter. Then in early spring I pot them up and
use them for cuttings for the current year's plants. I've found that
whilst keeping the parents will result in bigger plants in the
following year, they tend to get leggy and end up overwhelming their
planting space - they seem out of proportion to their neighbouring
plants in mixed planting.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

I kept some stuffed into pots with the bare minimum of compost and put
them in a cold frame. Right now the bigger plants look to have survived,
but the cuttings taken July time look decidedly iffy. The leaves have
turned red and look to be drooping. Should I have taken the cuttings
earlier?
When you say "early spring", I guess you keep them under glass when
potted up? I don't really have room so they'll have to stay as they are
for another month or so- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my youth when I worked on the Parks in Hastings around 1960 we used
to take the geranium cuttings at the end of August and the first
couple of weeks of Sept, that was in the days when parks grew all
their own plants
David @ the wet end of Swansea where the mud is suffering and showing
signs of near drought, though we did have a few puddles after showers
in the night over the weekend.

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:54:08 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

On Mar 20, 5:37*pm, stuart noble wrote:
On 20/03/2012 16:43, Jake wrote:





On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:11:53 +0100, Timothy Murphy
*wrote:

Is it sensible to leave geraniums in their pots
when putting them in a flower-bed,
so that they are easier to bring indoors for the winter?
If so, should one first transfer to larger pots?

Planting in pots is a landscaping trick - easy to remove the plants
once they're past their best and replace them with something else.

I just lift the pelargoniums (which is what the annuals are, really)
at the end of the season. Wrap the root balls in newspaper and box up
in the attic for the winter. Then in early spring I pot them up and
use them for cuttings for the current year's plants. I've found that
whilst keeping the parents will result in bigger plants in the
following year, they tend to get leggy and end up overwhelming their
planting space - they seem out of proportion to their neighbouring
plants in mixed planting.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

I kept some stuffed into pots with the bare minimum of compost and put
them in a cold frame. Right now the bigger plants look to have survived,
but the cuttings taken July time look decidedly iffy. The leaves have
turned red and look to be drooping. Should I have taken the cuttings
earlier?
When you say "early spring", I guess you keep them under glass when
potted up? I don't really have room so they'll have to stay as they are
for another month or so- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my youth when I worked on the Parks in Hastings around 1960 we used
to take the geranium cuttings at the end of August and the first
couple of weeks of Sept, that was in the days when parks grew all
their own plants
David @ the wet end of Swansea where the mud is suffering and showing
signs of near drought, though we did have a few puddles after showers
in the night over the weekend.

I used to take cuttings at the end of the "season". They never
survived. Bottling up the parent plants and forgetting them all winter
seems more successful.

By "early spring" I mean my definition. People differ about when
spring officially starts. I look at the weather. This year, for me,
early spring was early February. Parent plants down from attic into
trays in conservatory (the only pots I'm allowed downstairs!). As soon
as they shoot, about 5 weeks later, I get cutting. The cuttings have
to go upstairs. Parent plants in compost bin. I'm ruthless.

I'll move cuttings into unheated greenhouse within a week or two.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

I used to take cuttings at the end of the "season". They never
survived. Bottling up the parent plants and forgetting them all winter
seems more successful.

By "early spring" I mean my definition. People differ about when
spring officially starts. I look at the weather. This year, for me,
early spring was early February. Parent plants down from attic into
trays in conservatory (the only pots I'm allowed downstairs!). As soon
as they shoot, about 5 weeks later, I get cutting. The cuttings have
to go upstairs. Parent plants in compost bin. I'm ruthless.

I'll move cuttings into unheated greenhouse within a week or two.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

How the other half live! An attic, a conservatory, AND a greenhouse. :-)

On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:55:19 +0000, stuart noble
wrote:


I used to take cuttings at the end of the "season". They never
survived. Bottling up the parent plants and forgetting them all winter
seems more successful.

By "early spring" I mean my definition. People differ about when
spring officially starts. I look at the weather. This year, for me,
early spring was early February. Parent plants down from attic into
trays in conservatory (the only pots I'm allowed downstairs!). As soon
as they shoot, about 5 weeks later, I get cutting. The cuttings have
to go upstairs. Parent plants in compost bin. I'm ruthless.

I'll move cuttings into unheated greenhouse within a week or two.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

How the other half live! An attic, a conservatory, AND a greenhouse. :-)

But none of those is heated!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.