Gardening 101: Petunias - Gardenista
Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer, except where noted.
Once again it is time to give a salute and thanks for the many stalwart garden plants we have inherited from our southern neighbors. That also is true of the petunia, a plant that has been a favorite of gardeners since Queen Victoria was on the throne.
Petunia, Petunia x atkinsiana
Modern petunias have varied colors, stripes, and splotches thanks to centuries of hybridizing.
European plant hunters in the mid-1700s discovered petunias in South America and, after an introduction into Europe in the early 1800s, they quickly became a popular choice for the sumptuous flower gardens of the Victorian era.
For similarly splotchy purple and white petunias, consider ‘Night Sky’; $6.75 at Select Seeds.
For a similar deep-pink petunia with subtle purple stripes, consider ‘Sweetunia Suzie Storm’ (available seasonally for £11.99 at Thompson-Morgan) or trailing petunia ‘Shock Wave Deep Purple’ ($4.49 for 12 pelleted seeds at Swallowtail Garden Seeds).
Mix-and-match petunias mingle with other flowering annuals in a hanging basket. It is ubiquitous but, with so many pleasing forms and its ability to harmonize so beautifully with other annuals such as geraniums and salvias, petunias still manage to be fresh to the eye.
Petunias and red pelargoniums are happy companions. Here are some tips if you would like to up the flower power in your garden with petunias.
Cheat Sheet
Begonias and petunias complement each other with their bright colors. • Because petunias are good spreaders, they are excellent plants for hanging baskets, window boxes, and other containers where they will fill in abundantly, spilling over the edges and cascading down the sides.
• To ensure the most prolific flowering, plant in a site with at least five to six hours of full sun and initially pinch back the growing tip to encourage a bushier habit. • Petunias will tolerate poor soil but prefer a light growing medium that is moist but well-drained.
Keep It Alive
In general petunia cultivars fall into two major categories: Grandiflora and Multiflora. Grandiflora petunias have large flowers, typically at least four inches across, but are susceptible to damage from rain which can reduce the petals to a sodden mess.
Photograph by Cliff Hand via Flickr.
Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa flowers are almost identical to petunias but are smaller, bloom more vigorously and are available in an even wider variety of colors and patterns.
Ellen Reznick of Lush Life Gardening, who uses many annuals in her work beautifying New York City terraces and balconies told me she avoids petunias in favor...
...of calibrachoa because it flowers more generously and is impervious to some of the cultivation problems of petunias including mildew and susceptibility to weather damage