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Notebook · Guide 1 October 2026 · seasonal

Overwintering dahlias, pelargoniums and fuchsias: lift, mulch or cuttings?

Tender favourites can come back year after year. When to leave dahlias in under mulch and when to lift them, how to store tubers, and how to keep pelargoniums and fuchsias alive till spring.

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A dahlia plant after the first frost, with its foliage blackened and collapsed.
1Frost has blackened the foliage: time to cut down or lift.

Dahlias, pelargoniums and tender fuchsias are often treated as bedding — bought in spring, binned in autumn. They don't have to be. With a little effort in October and November, the same plants can come back bigger next year. The question is which method suits your garden.

In pictures

  1. A lifted dahlia tuber clump with stems cut to about 10cm, turned upside down to drain on a slatted wooden tray in a shed.
    2Lifted tubers drain upside down for a few weeks.
  2. A wooden crate of dahlia tubers half-buried in dry compost, in a dim, cool shed.
    3Store them in dry compost somewhere dark, cool and frost-free.
  3. A cut-back pelargonium in a pot on a bright windowsill in winter, about 10cm tall with a few small leaves, compost looking dry.
    4A cut-back pelargonium overwintering on a bright windowsill.

01Dahlias: mulch or lift?

Option 1: leave them in the ground.

  • Suits: milder areas and light, free-draining soil.
  • How: once frost has blackened the foliage, cut the stems down and cover the crown with a dry mulch about 15cm deep — garden compost, chopped stems or bark chips.
  • The risk: a harsh or very wet winter can still kill them.

Option 2: lift and store.

  1. Wait for the first frost to blacken the foliage — or lift by late November even if it hasn't come.
  2. Cut the stems down to about 5–15cm.
  3. Lift carefully with a fork, well away from the crown. Cuts and bruises rot in storage.
  4. Turn the tubers upside down for a few weeks somewhere dry and frost-free so water drains out of the hollow stems.
  5. Store them buried in dry compost or sand (or wrapped in newspaper or straw) in boxes or crates, somewhere dark, cool and frost-free, such as a shed or garage. Add old fleece or newspaper in severe cold.
  6. Check them regularly — we do it monthly — and remove any that are soft or rotting.

02Pelargoniums

  • Bring them in before the first frost.
  • Short of space? Cut them back to about 10cm. Cut-back plants need barely any water until spring.
  • Keep them somewhere light, airy and frost-free. At about 7–10°C they'll even keep flowering.
  • Ventilate on mild days to reduce rotting.
  • Or take cuttings in late summer instead of keeping whole plants; rooted cuttings overwinter well at around 7°C, bright and on the dry side.

03Tender fuchsias

  • Keep them frost-free. The most tender types (rated H1C) want a minimum of 5–10°C, so check the hardiness rating on the label.
  • Cut back to a framework 7.5–15cm tall, and keep the compost just moist.
  • In spring, pinch out the new shoots to make a bushier plant.

04Cannas, briefly

Lift after frost, cut the stems to about 5cm and store in sand, coir or vermiculite, kept just moist and frost-free.

05Mistakes to avoid

  • Storing tubers damp or damaged. The main cause of mushy dahlias in March.
  • Overwatering pelargoniums in winter. They want to be almost dry.
  • Assuming a mild garden is safe in a very wet winter.
Save your money
Use what you have for storage: spent potting compost, sand, newspaper, straw, old crates.
Cuttings mean you don't have to find room for whole plants. A windowsill of pelargonium cuttings is next summer's bedding for free.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — How to grow dahlias · RHS — Overwintering tender plants: lifting and mulching · RHS — How to grow pelargoniums · RHS — Tender perennials: cuttings · RHS — How to grow tender fuchsias

Checked 1 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.