Geranium Hortorum Cabaret Mix

Geranium Hortorum Cabaret Mix Seeds

(Zonal Geranium — F2 Hybrid Mix)

Pelargonium hortorum Cabaret Mix holds the distinction of being the number one F2 geranium chosen by professional growers worldwide, gardeners and growers in the Gulf who want the visual impact and reliability of a top-tier geranium without the premium cost of F1 hybrids, Cabaret Mix represents exceptional value.

Cabaret Mix is a significant improvement over existing F2 hybrid varieties and a popular choice for mass bedding displays. The plants produce dark green, well-zoned leaves with an excellent basal branching habit, early flowering, and good garden performance. The mixture contains red, salmon, rose, pink, and white.
Pelargonium x hortorum, known as zonal geraniums, grows in shrubby mounds and produces flowers in clusters (umbels) atop long flowering stalks throughout the growing season. The rich, medium green rounded to kidney-shaped leaves typically carry dark circular zonal bands — the characteristic marking that gives the plant its common name of zonal geranium.

Zonal geraniums are stocky plants with single or double flowers carrying five petals arranged regularly around the center. The leaves are often fragrant, and the inflorescence is carried on a long rigid peduncle rising clearly above the foliage to display the rounded flower head. This upright, structured flowering habit is one of the reasons geraniums remain among the most popular ornamental plants in the world, equally at home in formal beds, patio containers, and window boxes.

In the Kuwait growing season, Pelargonium hortorum performs as a cool-season annual, thriving from October through April in outdoor beds and containers. Its heat sensitivity makes summer cultivation impractical outdoors, but the mild winter months of the Gulf provide ideal growing temperatures and light levels for extended flowering.

Variety Details

• Pelargonium hortorum Cabaret Mix is a tender perennial typically treated as an annual.
• It is an F2 hybrid variety, offering an accessible alternative to F1 series while still delivering good garden performance.
• The F2 classification means Cabaret delivers stronger and more affordable seed production compared to F1 lines, with sufficient uniformity for both home garden use.

Key Features

• Number one F2 geranium for professional growers worldwide.
• Rich five-color mix: red, salmon, rose, pink, and white.
• Flowers in 100 to 110 days from sowing.
• Excellent basal branching and plug uniformity.
• Dark green, well-zoned foliage. Upright habit reaching 30 to 40 cm.
• Suitable for beds, containers, window boxes, and patio displays.
• Ideal for Gulf cool-season gardens from October through April.

Plant Information

• Family: Geraniaceae.
• Botanical name: Pelargonium x hortorum.
• Type: Tender perennial grown as annual.
• Height: 30 to 40 cm. Spread: 25 to 35 cm.
• Flower colors: Red, salmon, rose, pink, and white.
• Foliage: Dark green with distinctive dark zonal band.
• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade.
• Water: Moderate — allow soil surface to dry slightly between waterings.
• pH preference: 6.0 to 6.8.

Seed Germination

• Germination is rapid at 4 to 6 days at 21 to 23 degrees Celsius.
• Maintain a constant soil temperature and do not allow moisture levels to drop too low, as uneven moisture will cause
• germination to occur in flushes rather than uniformly.
• Cover seed lightly with a thin layer of vermiculite.
• A fungicide drench at sowing can help reduce the risk of Pythium disease.
• Use a well-draining, disease-free peat-based seed-starting mix with a pH of 6.0 to 6.2.

Growing Tips

• Prick out seedlings after 4 weeks into packs or pots and grow on at around 15 degrees Celsius.
• Total time from sowing to flowering is 13 to 15 weeks depending on conditions.
• Always maintain adequate moisture levels to support active growth but avoid overwatering as tightly packed plants are prone to Botrytis.
• Use a well-drained, disease-free growing mix with pH 6.0 to 6.8
• Fertilize one to two times per week with 150 to 200 ppm nitrogen using a calcium-based complete fertilizer.
• Deadhead spent flower clusters regularly to maintain continuous bloom throughout the season.

Gulf Planting Season

• Sow indoors in protected nursery conditions: September through October.
• Transplant to containers or garden beds: October through November.
• Expected flowering: December through March, depending on sowing time and conditions.
• Summer cultivation outdoors is not suitable.
• Pelargonium hortorum requires temperatures between 15 and 23 degrees Celsius for optimal germination and growth.
• Protect plants from sustained temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

Garden and Floral Uses

• Pelargonium hortorum Cabaret Mix is suited for ornamental bedding displays, mixed containers, patio pots, window boxes, and balcony planters.
• For stunning mixed containers, zonal geraniums combine beautifully with trailing plants such as lobelia or bacopa — the upright geraniums anchor the arrangement while trailing companions soften the edges.
• A single bold color theme or classic red-and-white pairing produces polished, garden-ready displays.
• Bulbsociety Red geraniums are known to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.
• Dead blossoms should be removed regularly to promote continued flowering.