I winter over Black and Blue salvia by cutting back and potting it up then putting in a cool dark basement room. Once a month I give it a small amount of water to keep tubers from shrinking. In the early spring I put it under lights for new growth and plant in the garden after the last frost date. Some of my plants have been wintered over three or four years. Editted to add: when I cut it back I cut it way back to just a short stem. That should make even a large one easy to pot up. This post was edited by mnwsgal on Mon, Nov 10, 14 at 12:10

I just happened to find this forum and thought I would tell you my story. Mother used to shake the dirt off, drop them, leaves and all, into a open large plastic pail, leaving them in the garage all winter. In the spring, the stocks would start to change into a sort of translucent green or you would see little red nodules on the older stocks, signaling the time to replant. She would clean up all the dead leaves and cut off the dead portions of the stocks, put them into soil and start to lightly water. Outside they would go when it warmed up enough. She gave me some a number of years ago and while I have good success using her method, I've managed to keep some very old pelargoniums year after year but in a different way. I have three that I leave in pots. Stopping all watering as the outside temp gets colder, I bring them into the house when it starts dropping to about 40 - 45 degrees F. The coolest room in the house is best but I have kept them in rooms with the daytime temp as high a 65 F. Of course you want to keep them away from any heat source. I water, but very little and only when I see the plant asking for a sip. Trust me, you'll know. A fair number of the leaves will yellow through the winter season and I just pick them off when they appear. I pick off any flower buds and even do some pinching. As long as you keep them clean of dead leaves, they don't look too bad! I get them outside as soon as possible, when the days get longer and hotter. I won't put them out too early because the cold will slow the growth. I continue to pinch off the flower buds as this seems to trick the plants into growing more leaves...so they can form more flowers...that I continue to pick off. I'm watering more often now and fertilizing. When I think the plants are "green" enough, I let them flower. And boy...do they flower. My pride is a pelargonium "bush" that I estimate to be about 9 years old. It's almost 5 feet tall with a main stock that's two inches in diameter. Happy gardening everybody!

Back when I would save geraniums over winter, I tried to take tip cuttings by mid August before the overnight temps were consistently falling below 10C (read somewhere that the lower evening temps change the cellular structure and lower the chances of rooting). Then in a sunny warm window thru the winter so they'd grow. Prune back depending upon size of plant, pinching once in mid February when the days start getting sunnier and longer, and then again mid April. My mom keeps the original root ball and stems, and stakes hers. They do look lanky on the bottom, but it is amazing how many cluster/bloom heads those plants will put out! One has to be 4 feet in height (and staked and kept out of the wind). She will get some branching lower down, but it doesn't appear to be too strong, but then again, she doesn't prune them back very hard (like I would). During the winter, she keeps them on the dry side in a window in the garage where the temp never gets below freezing, so I think she is holding them over in a dormant state.

Tahota, in the east we get a picture of you in the west as living in a more moisture laden part of the country. Along with British Columbia, you live in the banana belt where winter temperatures are not hard to take. The storage of geraniums in the manner you describe is very much the way to keep them safe and secure until we bring them out for re-invigorating. You should recognize that the sun at this time of season is almost at its lowest....December 21..the winter solstace being the shortest day of the year...not many plants would be suggested to do well in this kind of sun. So we store the geranium until the sun values return ....and by mid February, those values return sufficiently to begin the process of re-invigorating. One note of caution: Garden Grammie may indeed have her plants come back --as she points out---sometimes...in the bag method. But I think Grammie you will have a much better return if you don't tie the bag shut....leave it open...let the air circulate. The plant in the bag has moisture in it...and the interior of the bag then restricts the moisture to leave the bag...thus setting up mildew and/or mold. The bag method is a good way to store pels and catch the debris from the plant's drying. Tahota, to use the method you describe...the hanging upside down...you MUST have a place ...generally in the basement..that is dry, cool (35 to 50 fahrenheit) and dark. No moisture should reach the plant...so don't sprinkle.... no heat should reach the plant....cool keeps mildew and mold at bay with the loss of moisture....and dark so light doesn't initiate growth. The coolness must be in the range...35 to 50...otherwise its either too cold below it, or too warm above it. If you can guarantee your plant that kind of environment, then your plants WILL return when you begin the process....in February. The plant, nung up ...upside down...easy to tie the roots to something above it...will dry out..completely. It will drop much debris....so you might put a plastic sheet below it to catch the debris. Round about the ides of February, we bring the plant out...remove any and all old leaves, broken stems, examine the roots, tear them apart...so they can take up nourishment easy. Cut the plant back by ...1/3.....1/2 .....as you choose. Into a pot of 6"....8"....10"....again you choose according to the size of the plant...place some shards into the bottom of the pot..to keep the soil UP away from the drainage holes. Your plant MUsT DRAIN. Fresh potting soil is put in, make a hole in the center and put your plant in...firm it up with fingers. To improve drainage, you may wish to mix the potting soil with sand and/or peat moss. Water it until drainage is seen exited out the bottom. Let it drain fully. Then take it to the best window you have...west, south or east will do fine...north is not what you want. DO NOT water again until new leaves appear. It'll be no time at all. Then water again til drainage is seen in the saucer below....and dump the excess within 1/2 hour. As the plant begins to add foliage, you can begin to feed it...20/20/20...1/4...1/2 rate. Always, water the plant first before feeding. Never feed a dry plant. Each day or so, turn the plant 1/4 turn to ensure all parts of the plant receives ample amounts of sun. In about 4 to 6 weeks, you should see quite a bit of new foliage....new flower buds will follow in about 6..7..weeks...depending on the amount of sun your plant receives. As the foliage increases, about every 3rd watering, increase the rate of fertilizer. Use overnighted water to gain room temperature and lose of the fluorine in it. Always water til drainage...and dump the excess. Let it dry down some between waterings. Don't overwater....much better to be dry than to be wet. Using this method, I guarantee..if you can give the plant as I have suggested, you will have 100 percent recovery. maybe, better than ever. This method can guarantee you never having to buy another pelargonium. The pel must not be allowed to be touched by frost...so before that happens, do remove the plant to the cool room. You needn't shake off all the soil at this time, it will dry up and you can flick it off with your fingers when you cut it back in February. The February date is not compulsory...it depends on just what kind of weather the PNW gets.....so you can begin a little later. It hardly serves the purpose to start earlier. The sun values are not up to specs much before that time...and its the sun that determines the success...or failure of this method.