Petunia Flower Care
Courtesy Jim HeckelPetunias thrive in full sun
Petunia
Petunia hybrids
Zones 10 to 11, Annual elsewhere
All summer gardens should have a few easygoing petunias to fill the sunny spots. Petunias pump out blooms in nearly every hue all summer long with little care. Just give these annual flowers plenty of sun and keep them well watered.
Petunias are so low-maintenance you can put them in a container and forget about them for a few days. They might wilt a little bit, but give them some water and they’ll perk right up.
Editor’s note: Don’t confuse the popular annuals for wild petunias (Ruellia humilis). These perennial plants are native to the eastern U.S. and hardy in zones 4 to 8.
Benefits of Growing Petunias
Courtesy Valerie BusbyYou might see hummingbirds visiting your petunia flowers.
Everyone knows and loves petunias for their high-color impact in the garden. They come in pretty much every color you can imagine. Petunias absolutely shine trailing from hanging baskets and bring visiting hummingbirds up to eye level.
These popular annual flowers seem to get better and better every year. And many of today’s petunias are bred to be self-cleaning and to bloom without deadheading.
Recent hybrids offer stronger and denser branching (which means more flowers), new color patterns, and growth habits such as mounding, trailing and upright.
How to Deadhead Petunias
Eudyptula/Getty ImagesDried petunia seedpod
While petunias shine brightest in spring and summer, this heat-loving annual produces trumpet-shaped blooms well into fall with a little TLC. Coax more color from the plant by pinching off the seedpods and removing dead, faded flowers. With enough sun and water, petunias will keep blooming until the first hard freeze.
Cut petunias back in summer if they become leggy for improved flowering.
Petunia Flower Colors
Courtesy Wanda GanttPetunias come in many vibrant colors
Petunia flowers are available almost every color, even black and white, and some even bring their own contrast with bicolored blooms and impressive stripes. We’ve seen amazing color combos that are bold, wild and even a little crazy! You can find everything from vibrant lime and magenta to classic white and purple.
Fanciful double petunia flowers will thrill you with their pretty ruffled petals.
Types of Petunias to Grow
Wave Petunias
Ball Horticultural CompanyEasy Wave Blue
As the name suggests, Wave petunias feature a wave of vibrant color. Growing just 5 to 7 inches tall but spreading 2 to 4 feet, Wave petunias can engulf a container and bloom from spring until frost. We love the nonstop flowers in many hues and also the way they shrug off high heat and humidity.
Supertunia
www.provenwinners.comSupertunia Vista Jazzberry
Supertunias are heat tolerant and low maintenance annuals that prefer full to part sun.
The popular Vista Bubblegum Supertunia series packs a lot of color and blooms on its sturdy stems. It’s bound to be the highlight of your containers, and it looks stunning paired with other vigorous growers, such as sweet potato vine. This disease-resistant flower does not need deadheading.
READ ON: Grow Calibrachoa (Million Bells) in baskets for butterflies
Comments are closed.