Seeded Geraniums vs. Cutting

Main Species

• Although there are more than 200 geranium species, only four species are commonly cultivated in homes and gardens. The most commonly grown species, which contain both seeded and cutting geraniums, include common or zonal (Pelargonium xhortorum); regal or Martha Washington (P. xdomesticum); ivy-leaved (P. peltatum); and scented-leaf (P. graveolens, tomentosum and others).

Size and Growth Patterns

• Geranium plants grown from seed are smaller than those grown from cuttings. These are the type used for ground coverings in large areas because they grow evenly and low to the ground. Seed geraniums are also best for pots because their roots do not outgrow the pot and the top of the plant falls gracefully down the sides but does not attempt to invade its neighbors. Geraniums grown from cuttings fill up large containers on decks and porches and are good for large flower gardens, where they thrive well with flowering and nonflowering plants.

Bloom Formation and Breakdown

• Seed geraniums normally have small, single blooms. Cutting geraniums, also known as vegetatively propagated geraniums, have a mixture of single, semidouble and fully double blooms that are larger than those on seed geraniums. The flowers on seed geraniums shatter when they die, which makes them less labor-intensive to grow because there is no need to remove the dead blooms. The florets on cutting geraniums cling to the stem when they die. You need to remove them manually for aesthetic reasons as well as to prevent the invasion of fungal diseases.

Leaf and Flower Colors

• Both types of geraniums grow in a wide range of vibrant colors, often producing several colors in one pot or garden spot. The flowers grow in solid colors as well as with bicolored blooms on one stem. Geranium colors include snowy white, soft pink, fuchsia, pink and white, orange-salmon, lavender, coral, red, scarlet and scarlet and white. The leaves of both cutting and seed geraniums vary in color from solid, dark green to variegated shades of white, yellow and various hues of green.

Geranium Scents

• Unlike many flowering plants, geraniums blooms have either no scent or a light, unpleasant odor. However, scented-leaf geranium species have strong aromas in their leaves that include rose, lemon, strawberry, cinnamon and peppermint that intensify when you touch the leaves.