Petunia’s high reputation is well deserved

Press, 21 October 1983, Page 19

Petunia’s high reputation is well deserved

GARDENING

by

M.Lusty

Petunias enjoy a high reputation as annuals — hardy, reliable, attractive, continuous flowering over a long period, easy to grow and few, if any problems. They provide a range of flowers of different size, colour and type for border, window box or tub. Petunias can be used for massed displays or edging, and in association with other plants. Given reasonable treatment, they can even be treated as biennials if they are well cut back in the late autumn. Petunias do best in full sun. They, should be firmly planted and if conditions are at all dry they should then be watered. Some petunias, such as White Cascade, Fandango, and Sabre Dance, can make considerable growth; those which have this tendency could well be spaced 45cm apart. To maintain a steady flush of bloom spent flower heads should be promptly removed, a procedure which will also keep the plants more compact and thereby attractive.

Most of the petunias which can be bought today, whether grown from seed which you have sown, or from nursery-raised plants, are F.l hybrids of which there are four main types.

F.l hybrid multiflora singles. These are usually early, predominantly plainedged, single-flowered blooms up to 50mm across. Included in this group are such as Pale Face, a pure white with creamy throat; Lolipop, pink and white with a yellow throat; Commanche, one of the most popular of all — a brilliant red-flowered plant; and Sugar Blues, a variable blue.

F.l multiflora doubles. These are multiflowered

strains of the single with similar-sized large flowers. Forms in this group include Peppermint Tart, which has pink veins on an over-all pale pink petalled flower, Bonanza, a mixture; Strawberry Tart, white and red; and Cardinal, which is red in colour.

F.l grandiflora singles. Plants belonging to this group produce flowers with blooms up to 100 mm across; they are often frilled and ruffled. Red Picotee, a recent introduction which has

a creamy white margin to its over-all red petals, Sunburst (light yellow) and Scarlet Magic, with scarlet petals and a gold throat, are some examples of this group.

F.l grandiflora all doubles. Are fully double but perhaps not quite as reliable as the singles. Sonata provides a magnificent pure white bloom; Rhapsody has burgundy coloured flowers, and Presto is a combination of rose and white variegation.