Q: How do I carry over outdoor geraniums from one season to the next? My mom says to shake the dirt off the roots and throw them in a paper bag, but that sounds unusual.

A: Your mom is right! Remove plants from the ground and cut the stems back to twelve inches tall. Enclose each plant in a brown paper bag, stapled shut. Wrap string around the bag so you can hang each one upside down in a cool basement. In mid-March, take the plants down, remove the bag and soak plants in a bucket of warm water. They can be put outside when it warms up. It is surprising how fast those little sticks perk up and sprout leaves once again!