After reading some posts on deadheading and cutting back geraniums I followed the advice and snapped off all the old stems from the plant's base. Surprise of all surprises I'm getting a slew of new shoots ready sprout. Perhaps all is not lost after all.

Heather, sorry no one answered your post, but I am glad you are seeing new growth. Hardy geraniums are tough plants, but you were right, they don't like bogs. I'm wondering, will your Johnson's blue survive over winter in the whiskey barrel? I have all of my hardy geraniums in the ground, so they can go through the proper winter cold spell dormancy that they need.

And just to clarify something, this is probably the most confusing forum of Garden Web. We talk about two very different plants here, geraniums, and pelargoniums. Then to add to that the pleargoniums are commonly called geraniums, a leftover from when old Linnaeus was going about naming plant species. He though the plant pelargonium was the same as geranium, so named it that. Victorians fell in love with the pelargoniums (which were named geraniums,) and just never got the new name into useage when botanists realized the two plants are differents species. Both do belong to the same family though (or is it order? darn, I've forgotten all that high school biology class!!)

But, true geraniums, which is what you have, are hardy perennials, native to the US and parts of Europe. Pelargoniums, which are those bright flowers sold as annual potting plants, and also grown for their scents, are native to Africa, are succulents, and do not over-winter outside in colder climates. Those are the ones that get more dead-heading and fussing over. (Usually.) Anyone that wants more information on this, there is also something in the FAQs :-)

But both are lovely plants. I have both.
Jean

I see the geraniums folks discuss deadheading too, so I take that back- the bit about pellies get fussed over more ;-) Sorry all.
Jean