Nebraska gardener has kept geranium alive for 12 years

Jean Gilbert of Kimball, Nebraska, has a deep velvet red geranium that's more than 12 years old.

Each fall, she cuts the stalks back to 1-inch stubs and sticks the pot in an east window, so it doesn't get the hot sun.

"I think the plant really enjoys its rest period as it starts to grow again," she said.

Gilbert said she waters the plant lightly until it sprouts new leaves, which usually start showing up within a few weeks. She doesn't regularly water it until it really starts growing.

She trims the plant slightly in March and begins fertilizing again. It's ready to go back outside in May.

"I reintroduce it to full sun gradually, so the leaves do not get scalded by the sun," she said. "I fertilize periodically throughout the summer; I also give it coffee ground water and banana peel water about once a month."

She repots the geranium every two to three years.

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