previous
Hutchinson Farm Flower Guide
next
Seed Geraniums
Seed Geranium
Photo: Maverick Star Zonal Geranium, David MacTavish, Hutchinson Farm Greenhouses, Burlington, ON, May 7 2010
Grown at Hutchinson Farm since 1982. Available May 2022, in 4½" pots.

Seed geraniums grown at Hutchinson Farm are hands-down the best landscape geranium you can grow. They outperform geraniums grown from cuttings...more blooms, a bigger plant, so more show per plant. Alas, they don't sell as well as the cuttings! Why? At the time of purchase in May, seed geraniums do not have as many blooms as the cuttings, and they are big and floppy. But if you plant these in your garden, these poor greenhouse performers will outshine the cuttings all summer long.

Note: Due to lack of customer interest, we are phasing these out, sorry. Some colours available as we are using up the seed.
  • Description

    Winter Hardiness: Annual (can take a light frost)
    Light Requirements: Full sun - part sun

    Where to plant: In the garden, or very large containers only.

    Height: 12" - 18"

    Width: 12" - 18"

  • Garden Performance
    The best geranium for garden beds.
    They're almost too big and impractical for greenhouse cultivation (that's our problem, not yours), but outdoors in beds, seed geraniums thrive, with outstanding vigour and blossom production. In massed bed plantings, they require less maintenance, and outperform all other geraniums. The flower blossoms are full -look at the photo, the blossom looks great even though only about 20% of the florets are open!


  • Growing Guide
    Water only when soil is completely dry, fertilize weekly. Deadhead when necessary. Avoid rain. Seed geraniums may dwarf other geranium varieties, be cautious if you're mixing your cuttings and your seed geraniums. 

    Warning: Not all seed geraniums are created equally.
    Because seed geraniums are so vigorous, most growers spray seed geraniums with lots of plant growth regulators. PGR's keep plants short and compact (small and weenie?) which makes them easier to grow in the greenhouse, but makes them disappointing in the garden. At Hutchinson Farm, we want vigorous flowers, so we never use PGR's on any of our flowers.


  • Colours and Varieties
    The Pinto series was our standard seed geranium from the 1980's, but we hadn't grown them since the 1990's, when they vanished from the catalogs. In 2014 they were re-introduced (as an improved "Premium" geranium). They are terrific, with some really beautiful colours, so we're pleased to offer them once again.


    Pinto Premium Coral
    Pinto Premium Deep Red
    Pinto Premium Lavender
    Pinto Premium Lavender Rose
    Pinto Premium Rose Bicolor
    Pinto Premium Salmon
    Pinto Premium Scarlet
    Pinto Premium Violet
    Pinto Premium White
    Pinto Premium White to Rose (N/A 2021)

    Other types or series of Geraniums:
    Zonals
    Rocky Mountain Series
    Exotic Leaf
    Graffiti Series
    Zonals grown from seed
    Interspecific
    Ivies
    Blizzards
    MiniCascades