Petunia Flowers Are Very Popular For Their Vibrant Colors And Delicate Petals

Petunia flowers are very popular for their vibrant colors and delicate petals. Petunia plants with attractive and bright flowers are native to South America and belong to the family Solanaceae and genus Petunia. While most of the known varieties of petunia are hybrids, it is contented that the forerunner of these hybrids is a crossbreed between Petunia axillaris with large white flowers and Petunia integrifolia, which has violet-flowers. At present, we can see a wide range of trumpet-shaped petunia flowers in different size, colors and designs. Let us take a look at some petunia flower facts and petunia plant care.

Petunia Flower Facts

Petunia is a low-lying plant with a green and hairy foliage and bright trumpet-shaped flowers. There are many different varieties of petunias and these plants are roughly classified into grandiflora, hedgiflora, multiflora and milliflora. Grandiflora consist of those petunias with the largest flowers, i.e., up to four inches in diameter. The members of this class are further divided into four groups - merlin blue morn with blue and white flowers, supercascade series with flowers in many colors, daddy series with pink or purple flowers, and ultra series, with flowers in many colors. The last group includes bi-shaded flowers too.

The plants in the second category or hedgiflora are commonly known as spreading petunias. Most of the plants in this category have a maximum height of up to six inches, but they can cover a large area (up to four feet). The most popular among these types are the opera supreme with large flowers and tidal wave, which is much taller than the other members. The third category called multiflora includes petunia plants that produce flowers, which have a diameter of up to two inches. As compared to grandiflora varieties, these plants and flowers cannot be easily damaged by rain. The popular varieties include carpet series with flowers in many colors and surfinia series, which has flowers in pink, blue, purple and white. The fourth and last category is milliflora, which has the smallest petunia flowers. The petunia flowers in this category have a diameter of up to one inch. These plants are found to be more tolerant to harsh weather.

Now, you know more about petunia flowers and petunia plants. Petunia flowers come in various colors and can make your flower garden bright and lively. The following paragraphs deal with petunia flower care.

How to Grow Petunia Flowers

Petunia is one of those plants, which is easier to grow and needs less maintenance. They have some basic requirements like good sunlight, moist, well-drained soil and water. One of the initial steps of planting petunias is the selection of the right plant, with the color of your choice. You have to decide the site for growing these plants. It can be grown in garden beds, in containers, hanging baskets or indoors. You can select plants as per your requirement. For example, if you want petunia plants for garden beds, then low lying varieties with a large spread will be more suitable. The following are some tips and guidelines regarding petunia flower care.

• You can either buy petunia seedlings at the time of planting or sow the seeds eight weeks before the time of planting.
• Planting petunias is usually done after the last frost, during the onset of spring. Choose a location with full or partial (but should have at least six hours of full sunlight) sunlight.
• The soil must be well drained and at the same time, should be moist too. A peat based mix containing perlite or vermiculite (for drainage) is found to be good for planting petunia plants.
• Once the location is decided, you can start planting. These plants have to be planted at a distance of 12 to 18 inches, in case of garden beds. If you like them in containers, then plant two to three plants in the center of the container.
• Regular watering and fertilizing is good for petunias, especially for the new plants. This ensures continuous blooming.
• You may also use fertilizers at the time of planting. Usually, a ratio of one part fertilizer to four parts soil is found to be best for a healthy growth and flowering of petunia plants. Otherwise, use a water soluble liquid fertilizer, once a month.

Now, you have a basic idea of petunia flowers, petunia planting and care. These plants can prove to be an asset for your garden or indoors. So, if you do not have a petunia plant, start planning about planting some.