Pelargoniums in winter

peteS

I assume no pelargoniums are winter hardy, so how do you go about keeping them safe over winter. Is it best to pot them up and bring them inside (no greenhouse); are they cut back.
The one in the pic is a bit of a monster, it has actually outgrown the window box it is in, I've no idea what type it is as it was one of the supermarket "cheapies" 

Pianoplayer

Hi - I also have some supermarket cheapies in a pot that have done brilliantly. I don't have a greenhouse, no space for cuttings, no space in the house, so I am going to leave mine out against a south facing wall, watch the weather forecast, and put it in the garage for short periods if/when we get a cold spell. If it works, great, if not, not too much lost!

Jacquimcmahon

I cut back by about half and move my pots to sheltered space. Don’t let them get waterlogged as cold wet roots don’t survive. If it is significantly below zero cover them with breathable membrane, but don’t forget to take off again whenever you can otherwise you will have yellowing. You will probably loose most of the leaves but as long as the roots do not get frosted they should be fine. I have an amazing one that gets cut back a lot every autumn and spring back into a huge plant every year, sometimes from what look like dead sticks depending on the winter. Pickie from this last spring. It doubled in size over the summer and you could not see the pot!

Fairygirl

A cool windowsill is fine if you're in a colder area. Wet cold is worse than dry cold too.
A porch is perfect if you have one. 
You can also cut them back if you need to bring them inside, and then you have material to make more. 
@Pianoplayer - that might be an idea for you - a few little cuttings might be easy enough in a little corner of a windowsill. If you lose the main plant, you have  back up too 

peteS

Thanks for all the suggestions, but the only indoor/window option I've got is a South(ish) facing windowsill were it get pleasantly warm when the Winter sunshine shines through it...do you think that will do.

pitter-patter

That would be very good for pelargoniums, don’t forget to water, but only when the compost dries out. I’ve taken cuttings of mine, but I overwinter large plants on windowsills as well.

Fairygirl

They just need to be frost free @peteS, so that would probably be fine. You can always move them away a bit if they get too hot and limp. You could do cuttings too, and that takes less room, and gives back up as I said earlier. They do benefit from being cut back if they're indoors, and just kept ticking over. 

My mum used to keep them over winter on our kitchen windowsills, as they certainly can't be outside here.  The kitchen was always very warm too!

peteS

On the same theme, are scented Dianthus (Pinks) frost hardy, or should they be treated like pelargoniums...I've grown a few this Summer and their smell has been delightful.

Fairygirl

Dianthus are totally hardy @peteS
Again - cold wet ground isn't good for them, but as long as they have a nice free draining bit of ground, they're grand. Even in wet weather, they can cope if the drainage is ok.
They can look pretty rough after winter [mine certainly do!] but a trim and a tidy up once the weather improves, and they're good to go 

edhelka

Pelargoniums can take some frost, something like -2 or -3 for a couple of hours. They are hardy here (although not reliably). Last two winters, I haven't lost any that were outside, in the ground, no protection. In 2018, I lost 2 out of 3 or 4 plants to the Beast from the East. Before moving to Wales, I lived in Newcastle and they had no chance there. So hard to say where their hardiness line is.