APetunia Height

APetunia Height

One of the most popular annuals, petunias add mountains of color to garden beds and containers. These tough plants are capable of producing loads of blooms all season long and come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. While most petunias available nowadays are hybrids, they used to come in roughly two general classes, grandiflora and multiflora. Grandiflora petunias were bred for their large, showy blooms while multiflora were bred for quantity over quality, producing numerous smaller blossoms.

Petunia

Petunias have always been known for their vast selection of colors and patterns, and now more than ever, the options seem almost endless. New varieties come out every year in novel shades and patterns. Countless color options are available, along with patterns like stripes, splashes, and even hearts. The blossom size selection is quite diverse as well. Whether you're looking for a low-growing groundcover, a mounding type for containers, or a rambling wild plant to fill up some space, there is a petunia for every situation.Whenever feasible, it's a good idea to remove faded flowers, including the portion below each flower where seeds will develop. This practice, called "deadheading," encourages blooming by preventing seed formation.

Although it may not be practical to deadhead masses of petunias in the garden, it's a must for flowering annuals in containers. Deadheading not only helps prolong blooming, it also keeps plants looking fresh, healthy and well-groomed.One of the characteristics that makes petunias such a valuable and commonly used plant is their easy-going nature. Modern varieties require very little maintenance and aren't too picky about growing conditions. As long as they are planted in well-drained soils, they typically won't have any problems. In anything less, there is a chance that they could have problems with rot and fungal issues. Because petunias are such vigorous bloomers, they do need a substantial amount of nutrients to keep up their blooming power, so plant them in soils rich in organic matter. It is also beneficial to fertilize them fairly regularly throughout the growing season. (Source:www.bhg.com)