Pinto™ Premium Orange Geranium Seeds

All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2013

An exciting new color has been added to the Pinto family, and we think you'll love it. These 5- to 6-inch bloomheads are packed with deep pumpkin-orange florets, offering fade-resistant rich color during the hottest season of the year.

Each ball of flowers is simply packed with color, and appears even bigger than its (already large) size because the plant is just about a foot tall and slightly wider. Pinto is super-compact but very well branched, with handsome zoned leaves shaped like lily pads and held well below the flowers. Pinto begins blooming before most other pelargoniums, and can continue well into fall.

The flowers hold up well over time, and don't need deadheading (new ones will spring up and hide the old). This is a great choice for window boxes, patio containers, edging, the front or middle of the annual bed, and just about anywhere else you have good soil drainage and nonstop sun. Like other pelargoniums, Pinto enjoys a good feeding every other week throughout the growing season, too. And it's easy to grow new plants from cuttings, so if you have a cold frame or greenhouse, don't forget to keep your Pintos going by rooting cuttings in fall.

The best way to start these seeds is in your Bio Dome. pelargonium seeds are not difficult to germinate, but they can take their time—don't be surprised if they germinate days or even a week or two apart. Drop a seed into the Bio Sponge (or, if you're using a seed flat, lightly cover with starting mixture) and place in a 70-degree-ish location. Bottom watering is essential, as is consistent moisture. The Bio Dome also helps protect the young seedlings from drying winds and drafts. Once the seeds have sprouted, give the seedlings plenty of light, and transplant outdoors after all danger of frost is past.