Garden Petunias - A Colourful Parade

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I adore petunias for their lovely, lovely flowers. I have grown them and loved them a lot. Now I without their sweet presence because I have no more place to hang them! but, but, but ...

...  I still buy them whether intentionally or on impulse, especially during festive seasons to give an instant flash of colour to my front garden. I certainly will not hesitate to recommend them for my friends and readers who are busy decorating for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid ul-Fitr) this month.

The photos here are all taken at Floria 2011.

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 Scientific name: Petunia x hybrida

Synonym: Petunia violaceae var. hybrida

Common name: Petunia

Family: Solanaceae

Origin: South America

Category: Annuals

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The name Petunia is derived from the South American aboriginal word "petun" meaning tobacco. 

I recall that Harry Porter also has an aunt named Petunia.

"Garden Petunias - A Colourful Parade", a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on August 9th, 2012.

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Most of the petunias we grow are hybrids.

 Blooming petunias are sold in hanging baskets here and it doesn't cost much.

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Petunias are annual plants that can be propagated from seeds. Seed packets can be purchased locally. We can experiment with imported ones too.  Petunia seeds are very small. Careful handling is needed. It is recommended to mix with some sand to distribute the seeds evenly during sowing. It takes about 3 weeks for the seeds to germinate. Transplant after 5 weeks. Blooming starts in another 8-15 weeks time.

Bloom period is about 3 months.

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Grow under the full sun. The medium should be moist but well-drained. Water regularly but do not overwater. Use equal parts of burnt soil, sand and black soil. Apply a liquid fertilizer every fortnight. Pinch off spent flowers regularly to encourage blooming.

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 Petunias can be grown in pots, hanging baskets and fanciful planter boxes. You can placed on the patio table. I think they are perfect for Malaysian gardeners who like English or European styled gardens.

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Petunias may be susceptible to slime disease caused by bacterial that live in the soil. The bacteria attack the roots, eventually suffocating the plant as the leaves hang down and the plant wilts. In a 1-2 days, the plant will be dead.

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"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: 

its loveliness increases; 

it will never pass into nothingness".

John Keats

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I would like to dedicate this post to 2 lovely bloggers who have given me an award. 

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To Lynn of Lynns Garden, thank you very much for giving me the "One Lovely Blog" award for garden blogs. I am very honored!

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To Malar of My Little Garden, thank you very much for the Versatile Blogger Award. I am very honoured indeed!

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When I first started experimenting with growing petunias, it was indeed an attention grabber. 
there were well-meaning friends and neighbours giving advice about the 'difficulties' and predicting their early demise, but I think it was effort and money well spent because the flowers that bloom will brighten up my garden and my life. I have enjoyed the moments when it lasted.

Now you know that petunias are annual plants that do not last long,
will you still grow it?


Updated on 10 Aug 2012: Below is my You-Tube video of Petunias flowers in landscaping: