Well,I just started cutting my brugs last night just kills me.Dug dear Charles up and brought him in.I started leaving my dear friends out last yr.Did not loose anybody.The only reason I dig Charles is he was the first one I got from a dear gal.several yrs. ago here on garden web.Judith Her colection had become so great at that time she had talked about experimenting with leaving them out. Mine were huge this yr.I cut them all the way back and put a flower pot over top of them then cover in mulch completly. when finished looks like giant ant hills. I have several different pinks they all look a like to me. ,Charles ,some white pale yellow,white pale yellow. I will have back ups just in case but still have a row to cut down it is covered in tobacco canvas as we speek. Barb

I tossed my original Arp that I had in the half barrel in the winter of 2018-2019 because it was getting root bound. I took a few of the rooted cuttings from it and planted one in the ground on the south side of my house and the other in a 2 gallon pot last spring. The one in the ground grew decent last summer but appears to have croaked over the winter as expected. The one planted in the pot that I overwintered in the garage is now blooming. I need to pot it up to the half barrel this weekend. It's supposed to rain most of the weekend so I need to bring the barrel into the garage to do it.

I have quite a few geraniums that are 10+ years old. The first three years we were in an older home with a dark basement. I simply brought them inside in the containers they were potted in before the first freezing night. I treated them as houseplants on the windowsill UPSTAIRS with waterproof saucers, old dessert plates actually, under them to prevent ruining the woodwork. For the past seven years we've been in a new-build house with a big basement and lots of light. Needless to say my collection has expanded and thankfully it's still unfinished so it's my plant playground in the winter. I continue to do the saucer thing to protect the window ledge. The keys for me are to sparingly water, just a bit every two weeks or so. There's not much daylight so they really can't utilize much moisture. At the end of January/early February, I spread some newspapers on the floor in the basement and make a huge mess. It's fun at that time of year though, because it's gardening. LOL! First, I cut down each stem to the bare nubs, only about 1" to 2" above where the stem meets the soil. After I clean up the leaves and stems mess, I yank each plant out of its' pot and bare root them. Dispose of all the old soil into a yard bag and save to add to a garden plot when warmer weather arrives. I usually wash all the pots to get rid of possible disease, though I have skipped this step when lazy, never had a problem. Fill each pot with new potting soil and add water until it's thoroughly saturated. Next, I make a little hole in the middle of the potting soil and place the plant in the spot and gently spread the roots down and into the soil. Pat the soil down so it's all comfy.....and wait. In a week or two or three, you'll see new leaves on the stems. Water just every two weeks or so until you see new tiny leaves. Continue to keep them on the dry side until the leaves are about two inches wide. This could take 1 to 2 months. When the weather warms up enough, above freezing at night, put them outside in the SHADE for at least two weeks. Direct sun will burn the new leaves. Fertilize with your favorite, mine is Miracle Gro Bloom Fertilzer. I give them a drink of the stuff every two weeks in the summer. They are still looking spectacular even when most plants look so tired this time of year. They have new flower buds galore! Love 'em, can you tell. :) I always think of gardening as an artistic and science experiment. So much to love about it. Hope your geraniums do well in however you decide to keep them over. I think those little babies have kept me sane through our long, dark winters along with seed starting. The promise of spring....

davidrt28. I am also in Zone 7 so I appreciate your advice. I looked at that thread. I think that next year I'll take cuttings. But can you leave them in water all winter or is the idea to just grow a smaller potted plant to have in the spring.? I have to mention that the only one to survive down there was a 4 foot Guarantia Mexicana which actually bloomed a beautiful blue plume in the window in February. I put it in the garden yesterday looking raggedy and tired and gave it a gentle support so I hope it will perk up. The black and blue is buried deep in a heavy pot still in the basement. ( Cannot carry it without help) There is an Amistad with it . Both showing no signs of life , alas. I may lift them, put them in the dirt and see what happens. The ones that usually overwinter outside did not like the recent 14 below temps in Feb. A Texas one, quite common, a fuschia color. looks gone but seems to have shot a tiny seedling into the corner of its pot. I have Brenthurst a tall, pastel pink and Texas red that reliably reseed everywhere each year even in the lawn and the gravel ! I love salvias and recently discovered a mail order company in California: Flowers by the Sea, that has 900 varieties and excellent advice about each of them as well as histories, geographical origins, shade or sun, blooming times. It would make delightful reading even if one does not garden.