Question
The buds on the underside never open up.  They just eventually stay the same as the top portion is spent.  We live near Lake Erie.  The amount of sun doesn't seem to matter since all geraniums seem to behave the same.  There is no disease on them.  They did the same last year.  They are great when I buy them - fully developed flowers, but after a few weeks here they only partially open up
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Followup To

Question -
What causes the underside or bottom of the geranium head or flower not to open up as only the top part of the flower fully blooms?

Answer -
Let me see if I understand your question, Judy.  The lower florets on your Geranium are not opening?  Are they delayed - and open as the top of the head is fading?  Or do the peatls drop before they open?

Also, would you give me an idea of what climate you live in?  Are you on Long Island, or somewhere else?

This could be fungi-related, or (more likely) environmental.  RSVP and I would be glad to help you!

Answer
Well we have a thorough treatise on the matter from Geranium Maven Faye Brawner, who actually is a nationally known figure on this subject, which I am privileged to quote here in full without editing:

"Geraniums being grown for market are all under ideal greenhouse conditions.  Then, they are treated with a chemical, or more than 1 chemical that keeps them low and induces branching, or Gib acid to enlarge the blooms plus increase bloom.  These chemicals keep the plants low and bushy with a lot of blooming points.  As the growth is retarded, and branching is pushed, the blooms are on top and perfect.  If the same plant is taken out into the cold cruel world and not pinched and sprayed with the retardant, it will not have, or keep,  the same pattern or form.

"If you have ever been to a large English flower show, such as Chelsea, or even some of the smaller ones, you will see perfect plants, many which were not sprayed.  Small , or hobby growers start at the end of one show to prepare their plant for the next years show.  they are pinched severely, turned daily, and not allowed to bloom until 6 or so weeks before a show, then they are allowed to bloom and are covered with the top blooms you speak of, in fact, it will be a perfect ball of bloom covering the plant. This is a result of the constant pinching, which has produced a multitude of new, top, growing points, which means blooming points. They have done by hand, what the commercial growers do by chemical means, and the end result is the same.  These show plants have been kept in a greenhouse or a sun room, not outside where the weather might affect it.

"It is a case of giving the plant a lot of attention and work to get the epitome of bloom, or just do minor pinching and enjoy the plant even though it is not greenhouse commercial perfect.  One of the main reasons some gardeners do not get full blooming is they do not pinch at all, they just let the plant do whatever it wants to do, which in the case of most geraniums, is to get lanky.  A plant with only a few branches will not have much bloom.  As geraniums will only bloom at a growing tip point, if there are not many growing points, there is not maximum bloom.  As I am sure you know, every growing point where the plant is pinched back, from 2 to 4 new growth tips will emerge, meaning more bloom.

"There is another failure of many gardeners, not feeding enough.  The commercial growers do as I do in my hobby greenhouse,  they have a Dosatron , or similar appliance that automatically feeds the plants  liquid food every time they are watered during the growing season.  I use half strength Peters with every watering, so the blooms are large and numerous. Many home gardeners  feed a few times a month, if that. When I was judging the LA show this past May a lady asked me why her plants were puny, when I asked her how often she fed them, she replied, "at least once every 6 months"  As when it is warm, the plants are watered often, any food given is soon watered out of the soil, especially in pots, it will not take but a couple of waterings to leach the food out of a porous packaged soil mix.

"The water used is a factor also, geraniums like to be about 6 ph.  Here in my area, the water is very alkaline, hard as nails, so I have to add some acid type food to counteract the hard water, or the blooms are puny.  The soil can easily be tested to see if any ammendants are needed.

"As a 40 years grower of geraniums, it is easily summed up, pinching/pruning, turning, food and water. Commercial growers do it by chemical means as labor is expensive, home gardeners can do it by working with the plants on an almost daily basis as English hobbyists do.  Most gardeners in our country, plus a lot also in Engand, would rather just enjoy the colors and not fret about perfect plants as they apprear fresh from the greenhouse of a commercial firm, or from a person wanting to enter a show with a perfect plant.   If it does bother your friend, she can duplicate the perfect results, but it is a lot of continous work and attention.  Pinch/prune, turn daily and feed often. As each time you pinch out a growing/blooming tip, it retards the bloom as new shoots have to grow in, a lot of gardeners won't do it, they would rather have the one bloom in the hand than wait and have 6 in the bush.

"In the past, when I was showing my plants, they were kept picture perfect, but now, I prune a couple of times a month, but otherwise just enjoy the varied blooms and leaf colors.   I am also doing some hybridizing as plants can be  bred to be lower, and more floriferous.  A friend in Germany, owner of a large commercial nursery, has brought out several plants like that, they stay low, bushy, and bloom non stop with out a lot of pinching, et al. I call them my "comfort plants" meaning I can enjoy them without a lot of time and effort.  They are a joy to have and I hope their numbers increase."

I think Judy writes an excellent, sensible description of so many problems people like us have with Geraniums from growers who ship them out for quick sale to the public.  A few weeks ago there was a writer whose 100-degree Texas weather was stunting her plants and she did not understand why.  We must always remember, whatever we are growing, that our new plants are really being delivered from a place they would call Heaven and we can only try to do the best we can with what we have.

Thanks for asking.

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Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
?Henry James