Step by step: Planting a balcony with geraniums for beginners

Geraniums on the balcony bring colour and life to your world. Already bought some? Then an easy-care, floral haven is within your grasp. With a few simple tricks, you can create the best conditions for a colourful, carefree summer.

• Shopping list: What you need to plant geraniums on the balcony
• Planting geraniums in balcony boxes: step-by-step instructions for beginners
• Pro tips for flower boxes that will flourish
• Trailing geranium planting made easy
• Geranium care after planting: Watering, fertilising, pruning
• What are the best flowers for balconies?
• How it works with mixed summer flower arrangements
• 5 design tips for small balconies
• Bonus: Geranien und nützliche Insekten

• Healthy geranium plants in 11-12cm pots, 2 to 3 plants for a 60cm box, 4 to 5 plants for a 100cm box
• Flower box Recommended height: 20 cm; recommended colour: pale
• Geranium compost or quality flower compost, about 3 litres per 10 cm of box length
• Slow-release fertiliser for balcony and potted plants (not necessary for compost pre-treated with slow-release fertiliser)
• Drainage material: Clay shards, expanded clay or small stones (no marble chippings)
• A tarpaulin to work on
• A bucket of water
• Watering can + water

Immerse your geranium plants, still in their pot, in a bucket of water until no more bubbles appear. Take them out and allow them to drain.

Fill your flower box two-thirds full with fresh compost.

Add slow-release fertiliser according to the dosage instructions and mix it into the soil with your fingers or a fork. Use slow-release fertiliser that will last for at least 5-6 months. The packaging will say ‘6-month slow-release fertiliser’ or similar.

If the soil is treated with slow-release fertiliser, you can skip this step.

Press the compost firmly along the edge of the box with the side of your hand. This will prevent the soil sinking later. Smooth the surface of the soil.

Pull the geraniums out of their growing pot by the bottom of the stem (not by the leaves or flower shoots).

Use your hand or a trowel to make a hole in the soil about the size of the root ball.

Place a geranium in it so the root ball is flush with the soil surface at the top.

Press the soil lightly against the root ball with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands.

Repeat with each geranium. Keep a distance of at least 20cm between each plant.

Add more compost if necessary. Leave a watering rim of 2cm at the edge. Make sure the geranium leaves are not covered with soil.

Place your newly planted geraniums on the balcony in the bright, warm spot you’ve chosen for them. Remove broken leaves and shoots if any have been damaged during planting and moving.

Water your newly planted geraniums thoroughly until the water runs out of the bottom of the box. Do not water again in the first few days after planting. Protect your geraniums from frost and cold for as long as necessary.

Before you start planting your balcony: Think about which geraniums you want. There are so many that are great for window boxes! The classic upright geraniums (Pelargonium zonale) are just as popular as the trailing ones (Pelargonium peltatum). Sometimes you can also find interspecific varieties on the market. They flower even more freely, are easier to care for and hardier. Just mix different varieties for a colourful sea of flowers.

If there is no drainage, the day will come when your box overflows, because either it rains a lot or you mean too well with the watering. The roots will then be standing in water. If this excess lasts too long, your plants will start to rot.

What happens: Too much water clogs the pores of the compost. This leads to the metabolism in the root cells no longer functioning.

There are plants such as reeds that have adapted well to moist soil. However, this classic balcony flower, the geranium, originates in the dry veldt of South Africa. Plants like this need more air in their root zone.

Geraniums too wet? Here’s how to fix the problem.

Pre-watering saturates the root ball with fluid. This helps the plants until they have new roots.

Also, a moist root ball usually slips out of the pot more easily than a dry one.

Geraniums need lots of nutrients and airy soil around the roots. They have the ideal conditions in specialist geranium compost. However, other good quality potting compost for balcony plants is also suitable. The pH value must be between 5.6 and 6.2. Professional growers try not to allow the pH value of geraniums to fall below 6.0.

You can identify good quality compost by its ability to soak up water like a sponge, while at the same time being airy enough to prevent damage to the roots. Good compost smells of forest soil and pleasantly of a plant nursery. If you want to do something for climate protection, plant your geraniums in peat-free compost.

Planting adds more material; the volume of the root ball has to go somewhere. If you fill the box to the brim, you will have to remove soil afterwards. Not least so a watering margin remains. You can save yourself the trouble of removing the soil if you only fill the balcony box two-thirds full.

Geraniums are hungry plants and need lots of nutrients. Slow-release fertilisers have the advantage of providing your geraniums with nutrition for months and you don’t have to think about fertilising. We recommend using them.

There is one exception: Some composts come with slow-release fertiliser mixed in at the production stage. If you add fertiliser to these products when planting, it would be too much for the geraniums. Instead, add liquid fertiliser when the time is right.

You’ll know it’s time to fertilise when your geraniums aren’t flowering as well or the leaves aren’t as green anymore, even though everything else is fine. We explain how to use liquid fertiliser and everything else to do with feeding geraniums in this post ‘Fertilising geraniums’.

• Try to loosen the root ball from the pot by squeezing the pot gently.
• If that doesn’t help, soak the pot in water. This helps the roots slide out more easily.
• If nothing else works, cut the pot open with a knife or secateurs. Be careful not to damage the plant or roots.

Geraniums grow best when the root ball is flush with the soil surface. If it sits too high up, evaporation will occur and you will have to water more than necessary. If you bury the root ball too deep, your geraniums will grow poorly.

Pressing down the root balls ensures that the soil is compacted. This is important so no air pockets remain and the new roots can immediately absorb water and nutrients through direct contact with the soil.

Geraniums grow quickly and vigorously. If they are closer together than 20cm (approx. two hand-widths), they won’t develop properly. Don’t worry: the gaps will grow over in no time.

Tip: For even spacing, start planting in the centre if there is an odd number of plants. With an even number, place the plants at the edges first.

The watering margin will help you to keep your geraniums hydrated all summer long. The raised edge allows more water to remain in the box than the soil can immediately absorb. This extra water does not run away down the sides, allowing the soil more time to soak it up.

If you only water the planted flower box in its final location, you don’t have to lug a heavy container of wet soil around.

Geraniums love plenty of light. Choose a location that ideally offers six hours or more of full sun per day. Like trailing geraniums? They benefit from a location sheltered from strong winds.

Geraniums in partial shade? That works too .

Watering thoroughly means that the water seeps deep into the soil, not just stays on top. The roots are at the bottom and they need the water. If you only wet the top layer of soil with a little water, the moisture will evaporate without the plants benefitting from it.

Thorough watering won’t manage to saturate the root balls of newly planted plants. This is why you should immerse the geraniums in a bucket of water before planting until no more bubbles appear.

To keep your geraniums healthy and strong. The soil should always be allowed to dry out slightly (but not completely) between waterings. This promotes healthy root growth. If the soil is constantly too moist, the roots could rot.

Wait until the danger of frost has passed and daytime temperatures are in double digits before planting.

Geraniums growth slows below 12°C and at less than 5°C it stops completely. A sudden frosty night in spring can even kill recently bought geraniums.

7 ways to protect geraniums from frost and cold.

Water storage boxes work with a double base. The water reservoir is at the bottom and the geraniums are planted at the top.

With some models, you add a special layer of granules to the plant insert and only then do you add the compost. Otherwise, planting is the same as in a normal planter.

In the first few weeks, you should water plants in a water storage box from above. Only when the roots reach the reservoir will they feed themselves.

Then top up with water via the filler hole. Liquid fertiliser can also be added in the same way.

Remember to press the soil firmly around the plant to ensure it is well anchored and water generously in its final location so the roots can grow quickly.

Now your geraniums have moved into their new home, it’s time to take care of their needs

• Water regularly but moderately. On hot summer days, you may need to do this twice a day in the case of heavily flowering geraniums.
  Watering geraniums: The basics of watering
• Give your geraniums enough fertiliser. They need the nutrients to grow and flower.
  Fertilising geraniums like a pro
• Pruning is like a kind of spa treatment for your geraniums. Carefully remove faded flowers and dead leaves. By creating space for new flowers, you encourage these balcony plants to bloom abundantly.
  Geranien pflegen

There are a variety of flowers that thrive well in sunny locations. Geraniums are among the most popular balcony plants.

and tolerate heat and occasional drought. This makes them an excellent choice for sunny locations, turning them into floral oases even in strong sunlight.

and produce blooms continuously throughout the growing season, filling your balcony with vibrant colours all summer long.

because they come in a wide range of colours, including red, pink, white, purple and even two-tone varieties. There are also different types available, such as trailing geraniums or upright varieties, so you can choose the one that best suits your balcony.

and don’t demand much attention to flourish. With plenty of sunlight, regular watering and fertilisation, and the removal of faded flowers and leaves, they will simply grow and flower beautifully.

Mediterranean aromatic plants lavender (Lavandula augustifolia), sage (Salvia), thyme (Thymus), …

For sunny locations where the heat is less intense, the right plants include Busy Lizzie (Impatiens New Guinea), Lobelia (Lobelia hybrid), mini petunia (Calibrachoa hybrid), and heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)

Place them at the back of the balcony box and in the centre. Use medium-height companion flowers to disguise the differences in size. Plant low-growing species at the front edge and let them spill out over the box.

Upright geraniums can be the feature or companion plants, while trailing geraniums grow over the edge.

Three colours are enough. White and green go with everything. Tone-on-tone planting looks harmonious and shows off your green fingers.

Find decorating ideas featuring geraniums in our decorating blog.

1 Utilise the vertical surfaces of your balcony,
by using freestanding hanging baskets or vertical planters. Trailing geraniums are perfect for this.

2. Use space-saving furniture,
such as folding chairs and tables or narrow shelves to make efficient use of the limited space. Combine these with geraniums in pretty balcony boxes or pots to create a homely atmosphere.

3. Choose a colour palette,
that visually enlarges the balcony. Bright colours do just that. Geraniums are available in a variety of colours, so you can easily find the right one for you.

4 Decide on multifunctional items
that fulfil several purposes, such as a privacy screen you can also plant up with geraniums.

5. Integrate atmospheric lighting,
to make your balcony cosy in the evening too. How about LED fairy lights, solar lighting or small lanterns?

Sometimes you read that you should never plant geraniums if you care about nature. This is not true. You can plant geraniums with a clear conscience and do something to support all insects at the same time.

Geraniums come in many different colours and shapes. The stamens of single and semi-double flowering geraniums contain pollen, and some varieties also produce nectar.

When there is plenty of choice in summer, insects seem to favour other flowering plants. As soon as the food supply becomes scarcer in late summer, they like to fly to single and semi-double flowering geraniums.

With their bright colours and large flowers, geraniums are visible to insects from a great distance so they are attracted to them.

On a sunny balcony, just combine geraniums with balcony plants or herbs that are especially attractive to bees. For example, lavender, ornamental sage or sweet alyssum.

Garden centres offer endless possibilities for planting your balcony in such a way that both humans and insects get their money’s worth. Even beginners can enjoy the diverse beauty and abundant flowering of easy-care geraniums.

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