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Your geraniums are at peak bloom and you heard somewhere you could store them overwinter - but you are wondering how?

Many of you may remember mom or grandma placing their geraniums in a paper bag in a cool dark corner of the basement for winter. It seemed she always had great luck reviving them in spring. Unfortunately, most of us have warm basements that make this method the least successful.

You can bring potted plants indoors and grow them like houseplants. Unfortunately unwanted pests may hitch a ride in with the plants. Isolate the plants in a sunny location for several weeks and monitor for pests. If an insect problem is present, make several applications of an eco-friendly insecticide.

I prefer to take cuttings from healthy plants. Remove any flowers and buds and root 4-6 inch cuttings in moist vermiculite or a well-drained potting mix. Pot up the rooted cuttings and grow them like a houseplant in a sunny window.

A bit more information: Try overwintering other annuals. Fuchsias have been known to last several years when wintered indoors. Annual vinca, coleus, scented geraniums, cuphea, mandevilla, and candy corn plants are just a few to try. Grow these in a sunny window and enjoy a bit of extra greenery, and flowers if you are lucky, throughout the winter.
For more gardening tips, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com

About Melinda Myers
Melinda Myers, best known for her gardener friendly and practical approach to gardening, has more than 30 years of horticulture experience in both hands-on and instructional settings. She has a bachelor's degree in horticulture from The Ohio State University and a master's degree in horticulture from University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a certified arborist, and was a horticulture instructor with tenure.
Outside the classroom, Melinda shares her expertise through a variety of media outlets. She has written over 20 books, including Can't Miss Small Space Gardening. She hosts "Great Lakes Gardener," seen on PBS stations throughout the United States, and "Melinda's Garden Moments", which air on network television stations throughout the country. She appears regularly as a guest expert on various national and local television and radio shows. She also writes the twice monthly "Gardeners' Questions" newspaper column and is a contributing editor and columnist for Birds & Blooms magazine. In addition, she hosted "The Plant Doctor" radio program for over 20 years and was a columnist and contributing editor for Backyard Living magazine.

For her work, community service and media presence, Melinda has received recognition and numerous awards, including the 2003 Garden Globe Award for radio talent and the Quill and Trowel Award for her television work, both from the Garden Writers Association. She has also received the Garden Communicator's Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association and the Gold Leaf Award for Arbor Day from the International Society of Arboriculture.

For more information, visit Myers' web site www.melindamyers.com