How to prune geranium pratense

After main flowering (early to midsummer); early spring to remove dead stems. Cut all stems back close to the ground with shears once flowers and foliage look tired, typically July. New growth emerges quickly. Left uncut, G. pratense seeds prolifically and can spread aggressively in borders.

Once or twice annually. Geranium pratense (meadow cranesbill) self-seeds freely and benefits from a hard cutback after its early summer flowering. Shear the whole plant back to near ground level once flowers finish. This prevents excessive self-seeding, refreshes the plant, and often produces a fresh flush of foliage and lighter re-bloom in late summer. Tidy dead stems in early spring.

Cut all stems back close to the ground with shears once flowers and foliage look tired, typically July. New growth emerges quickly. Left uncut, G. pratense seeds prolifically and can spread aggressively in borders.