Growing Tornado Series Mix Geranium Garden Seeds
- Taxonomy: Pelargonium x peltatum
- Other Names: Ivy Geranium, Cascading Geranium, Ivy-Leaved Pelargonium
- Seed Type: Annual (Perennial 10 – 11)
- Sow Indoors or Outdoors: Tornado Series Mix geranium seeds can be sown directly after the frost but, for earliest spring blooming, begin indoors 8 – 10 weeks prior. Geranium seeds can be quick to germinate between 5 – 12 days without any need of light. Geraniums are just as popular indoors as they are out and many gardeners will transplant the seedlings into moveable pots to store the plants away for winter an ensure hardy blooms for the following spring.
- Days to Maturity: 98 – 105 days
- Hardiness Zone: 3 – 11
- Planting Depth: Plant 2 – 3 seeds ¼” deep
- Plant Spacing: 36”
- Growth Habit: 18 – 24” tall trailing shrub with a 12 – 36” spread of classic geranium blooms
- Soil Preference: Organically rich, medium moist, well-drained
- Light Preference: Full sun – Partial Shade
- Diseases/Pests/Troubleshooting: Tornado Series Mix geraniums are known to perform in poor soils and gardens prone to heat and drought. Deadhead and pinch plants into the summer to promote further growth. Avoid overwatering because plants are susceptible to mold, root rot, and leaf spots if not properly drained or ventilated. Watch for caterpillars on outdoors plants and aphids and whiteflies on indoor ones.
- Color: Mix of shades of pink, fuchsia, magenta, and lilac
Tornado Series Mix geranium seeds can be sown directly after the frost but, for earliest spring blooming, begin indoors 8 – 10 weeks prior. Geranium seeds can be quick to germinate between 5 – 12 days without any need of light. Geraniums are just as popular indoors as they are out and many gardeners will transplant the seedlings into moveable pots to store the plants away for winter an ensure hardy blooms for the following spring. Plant 2 – 3 Tornado Series Mix geranium seeds ¼” deep and 36” apart in organically rich, medium moist, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Tornado Series Mix geraniums are known to perform in poor soils and gardens prone to heat and drought. Deadhead and pinch plants into the summer to promote further growth. Avoid overwatering because plants are susceptible to mold, root rot, and leaf spots if not properly drained or ventilated. Watch for caterpillars on outdoors plants and aphids and whiteflies on indoor ones. Tornado Series Mix seeds mature in 98 – 105 days as 18 – 24” tall trailing shrubs with a 12 – 36” spread of classic geranium blooms.
Pelargonium x peltatum is member of the family Geraniaceae and is mistakenly given the common name “geranium” in North America though not actually being a geranium at all. There is some division among American horticulturalists and hobbyists as to whether or not to refer to the plant by what it looks like (“geranium”) or by its true taxonomical name (“pelargonium”). Pelargonium was first cultivated in the 16th century near South Africa and has thrived as a purely ornamental variety with countless societies dedicated to its cultivation.