Petunia

(Solanaceae - Nightshade Family)

• Form
  • small herbaceous annual
  • many forms mature at about 10" tall by 2' wide
  • procumbent mat growth habit, entangling upon itself and others

• Culture
  • full sun to partial shade
  • best performance occurs in full sun in a moist, well-drained soil; adaptable to heat, humidity, and drought, but not adaptable to full shade or wet sites
  • propagated by seeds
  • Nightshade Family, with few disease or pest problems of ornamental significance
  • abundantly available in flats or seed packets
  • in warmer climates, Petunia may grow so rapidly and bloom so prolifically that it is "spent" by late July, and has few blossoms on thin stems with small, almost chlorotic leaves; in this case, late Summer and early Autumn vigor and dense flowering can be re-achieved by cutting the stems back hard, fertilizing, and watering in late July or very early August

• Foliage
  • medium green, ovate, without petioles, and sticky-pubescent, emitting a pungent odor when bruised
  • alternate on the basal stems, but becoming opposite and much smaller on the upper stems
  • tolerant of early frosts and light freezes

• Flowers
  • prolifically flowering from early June until the first frost, but with a reduction in flowering intensity in mid-Summer in warmer climates, and a dramatic drop in flower production after the first frost
  • flower consists of a trumpet-shaped fused corolla that flares widely at its open end, with a slightly undulating margin and mild sweet fragrance
  • shades of purple, magenta, red, pink, violet, blue, yellow, or white are the most common solid colors
  • bicolor combinations usually have white and another color, in either a striped wheel-spoke pattern, or having a central "eye" of white or a faded shade of the primary color
  • several flowering forms exist, encompassing the traits of single- or double-flowering, frilled edges, abundant small flowers, or fewer large flowers
  • heavy rain ruins the expanded flowers of most cultivars, requiring a couple of days for the floral spectacle to return to full beauty

• Fruits
  • ornamentally insignificant capsules, if present at all

• Twigs
  • not applicable

• Trunk
  • not applicable

• ID Summary
  • sticky stems and ovate medium green foliage give rise to a carpet of showy, lightly scented flowers with trumpet-shaped fused corollas, forming masses or cascades of single colors or bicolors

• Function
  • flowering color accent, in group or mass plantings at foundations, entranceways, focal points, along sidewalks or paths, or on embankments
  • also good for its cascading habit when utilized in hanging baskets, window boxes, and planters

• Texture
  • medium texture
  • thick density

• Assets
  • prolific flowering in full sun under moist to mostly dry conditions
  • many floral colors and several floral structures available
  • new hybrids can also achieve prostrate groundcover or super cascading growth habits

• Liabilities
  • current blossoms are often ruined by rain, with the plants needing two to three days to re-establish new fully-expanded blossoms
  • floral vigor may decline in mid-Summer in warmer climates, and rejuvenation shearing, fertilization, and irrigation may be required to recover heavy flowering in late Summer and early Autumn
  • sticky stems and leaves are somewhat annoying to plant, prune, or remove

• Habitat
  • annual that dies with a few hard freezes
  • species are native to South America

• Alternates
  • prolifically flowering annuals of low to moderate height for sunny sites (Dendranthema x grandiflora, Pelargonium x hortorum, Tagetes patula, etc.)
  • annuals with a cascading growth habit (Lobelia erinus, Lobularia maritima, Vinca major 'Variegata', etc.)

• Variants
  • many exist and new releases are promoted every year, bred for single or double flowers, floral size, floral density, floral colors and patterns, ruffled floral edges, earliness to bloom, compactness, procumbent versus prostrate versus cascading habit, fragrance, and vigor

• Translation
  • Petunia is derived from Petun, the Brazilian name for tobacco, to which it is closely related.
  • x hybrida denotes the hybrid origin of the many cultivars.

• Purpose
  • Petunia is a very popular annual that has a spectacular floral display virtually all Summer in sunny, well-drained sites.

• Summary
  • Petunia x hybrida is America's favorite annual for sunny sites, noted for its prolific Summer-long flowering, spreading or cascading growth habit, and wide choice of floral colors, patterns, and types.