Thanks! I have started them inside and have started hardening them off. April 15th is my average date of last frost so will plant outside after that date.

I do have several and will experiment!

Are you growing geraniums or pelargoniums? If geraniums, it's usually better to wait to cut back flowers after the first flush. If it's pelargoniums, those can be pinched back pretty much anytime to encourage new blooms/growth.

I grow scented pelargoniums, and they sure can take some abuse. I've started cuttings for the garden off the same couple mother plants I overwinter for years. I don't have any geraniums in my gardens yet.

Regardless of what you have, you will indeed need a couple weeks hardening off before planting out like ken has said.

Pelargoniums.

Daytime temps have been good, so they have been sitting out in full sun already about eight hours a day.

Pelargoniums and you have already been hardening them off? I would say you are safe to pluck that first bud to help encourage further growth.

Thanks!

Definitely remove the early buds, let them produce more green growth, so they are fuller before they start blooming. I used to grow them from seed -- they grow so fast, and even the tiniest seedlings want to bloom immediately! They don't know what's good for them 😉

Thanks JoJo! I've never grown them from seed before so good to know!

I did it out of necessity -- I lived in a very humid climate at the time and my pelargonium was half-dead most of the summer with all kinds of fungal issues. I finally decided to grow more resistant hybrids at home and that was a huge improvement over the usual nursery plants.

Needless to say, I don't have this issue anymore... But it was a lot of fun to watch them grow.