When your plants arrive

• Unpack the plants immediately and check the compost to ensure it has not dried out in
  transit. Water with a fine spray, or sit the plants in a tray of shallow water if the compost is
  dry.
• Pot on as soon as possible (preferably within 24 hours) after they have had time to settle.

Potting on and planting out

• Handle each plant by the plug root ball, rather than the stem to avoid damage.
  Pot each plug into a 7.5cm (3in) pot using a good multi-purpose compost.
  Grow on for a few weeks in a greenhouse or a bright, frost-free place, but avoid
  direct sunlight.
• Keep moist but do not over-water. If very cold weather is forecast, cover with a layer
  of fleece.
• Harden off your plants before planting them out by placing the pots outside during
  the day and bringing them back in at night. After 7-10 days, the plants will be ready
  to plant out

How to care for geraniums

• Plant in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. If planting in pots or hanging baskets, use a
  multi-purpose compost.
• Geraniums are drought-tolerant and don’t like sitting with their roots in wet
  compost, so don’t overwater them.
• Apply a balanced liquid feed fortnightly until the flowers appear, then feed
  fortnightly with high potash feed such as tomato food.
• Deadhead faded flowers regularly. This encourages the plant to keep flowering and
  also reduces the risk of fungal disease botrytis in wet weather.

How to protect geraniums over winter

• Move plants into a greenhouse or place on a sunny windowsill before the first frosts.
  To save space, the plants can be cut back to 10cm (4in) high.
• Reduce feeding to once a month in autumn, and feed sparingly or not at all in winter.
  Water plants that are still in growth very sparingly in winter – plants that have been
  cut back will need practically no watering through winter
• In spring, harden the plants off before moving them back outside once frosts are
  over, in late May or early June.

Pests and diseases

Geraniums may be prone to the following pests and diseases. Read more about how to
control common plant pests and diseases here.

• Pests
• Vine weevil larvae (especially container-grown plants)
• Aphids

Diseases

• Grey mould
• Rust