🌸 When to Plant Geraniums
Long-blooming; overwinter indoors; deadhead for continuous color; drought-tolerant once established
📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone
Geraniums is a warm-season crop — plant it after your last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, and start seeds indoors a few weeks ahead for a head start. Find the exact start-indoors, transplant, and direct-sow dates for your USDA zone in the table below.
Select your zone to highlight your dates. All dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates — see how we calculate them.
| Zone | Last Frost | Start Indoors | Transplant | Direct Sow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2A | May 30 | Mar 7 | May 30 | — |
| Zone 3B | May 15 | Feb 20 | May 15 | — |
| Zone 4A | May 8 | Feb 13 | May 8 | — |
| Zone 4B | May 1 | Feb 6 | May 1 | — |
| Zone 5A | Apr 25 | Jan 31 | Apr 25 | — |
| Zone 5B | Apr 18 | Jan 24 | Apr 18 | — |
| Zone 6A | Apr 21 | Jan 27 | Apr 21 | — |
| Zone 6B | Apr 10 | Jan 16 | Apr 10 | — |
| Zone 7A | Apr 5 | Jan 11 | Apr 5 | — |
| Zone 7B | Mar 28 | Jan 3 | Mar 28 | — |
| Zone 8A | Mar 20 | Dec 26 | Mar 20 | — |
| Zone 8B | Mar 12 | Dec 18 | Mar 12 | — |
| Zone 9A | Feb 28 | Dec 6 | Feb 28 | — |
| Zone 9B | Feb 15 | Nov 23 | Feb 15 | — |
| Zone 10A | Feb 1 | Nov 9 | Feb 1 | — |
| Zone 10B | Jan 15 | Oct 23 | Jan 15 | — |
| Zone 11A | Jan 1 | Oct 9 | Jan 1 | — |
Garden geraniums (Pelargoniums) are some of the longest-blooming annuals available — and unlike most annuals, you can overwinter them indoors for years.
Top Growing Tips
- Start from seed 12-16 weeks before last frost for first-year blooms
- Deadhead spent flower clusters to prevent seed development and extend bloom
- Overwinter by bringing pots inside before frost; keep barely moist
- Take 4-inch stem cuttings in late summer to propagate for next year
- Scented-leaf varieties (lemon, rose, nutmeg) are especially aromatic
Companion Planting
Good companions: roses, marigolds, petunias
Avoid planting near: Overwatering — most common cause of decline
Harvest Timeline
Ornamental; harvest scented leaves anytime for culinary or aromatic use
Growing geraniums in your region?
These dates come from your zone's frost windows. For the full month-by-month plan — succession sowing, variety picks, and timing tuned to your climate, not just your zone — our regional vegetable-gardening guides cover your area start to finish.
Find your regional growing guide