Think it's a shame to discard a beautiful geranium once the bloom has faded? You can keep it blooming year after year. The trick is to mimic the dormant season the plant would go through in its native South African environment.

In fall, before the first frost has hardened the plants, prune them back heavily and bring them indoors to a window in a cool room that will remain between 40 and 45 degrees all winter. Keep the plant alive, but don't encourage it to grow: Wait until the leaves become almost droopy between waterings. From December to March, feed the plant every two weeks with a high phosphorus fertilizer to encourage strong root growth and flower production. After the first of the year, pinch the plant back lightly and bring it into a warm, sunny room. Increase watering as the plant begins to grow and you should have flowers in May.

Over-wintered geraniums will bloom, but they do tend to turn scraggly and weak. To produce even sturdier plants, take cuttings from your plant in October. After they root, pinch the cuttings back once or twice before late February. They will produce nice, stocky plants that will bloom by Memorial Day.