Petunia is the queen of the garden
Petunia is a genus of perennial and annual plants with erect, creeping, densely branched shoots. Jean Baptiste Lamarck, a French naturalist, first mentioned the plant in 1793. But there was some mistake with the description of the flower.
When similar plants were found after 10 years, they were isolated in the genus Petunia. Since then, breeders have been working on breeding new varieties and hybrids. Varieties of petunias have appeared, the cultivation and care of which requires certain knowledge and skills.
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Species and varieties
Depending on the wishes in the design, the buyer can choose from seeds of bush, ampelous, low-growing, multi-flowered, terry and fantasy varieties. A special group is made up of vegetative petunias. The peculiarity of plants of this species is that they can be propagated by cuttings.
The world of petunias is represented by many species and varieties.
Depending on the wishes in the design, the buyer can choose from seeds of bush, ampelous, low-growing, multi-flowered, terry and fantasy varieties. A special group is made up of vegetative petunias. The peculiarity of plants of this species is that they can be propagated by cuttings.
Bush
The most diverse and numerous group, which contains beautiful plants with large flowers, reaching a diameter of 10-12 cm. The variety includes plants with different flower shapes and petal colors.
Among them you can find specimens with plain buds of the correct form, double and bicolor flowers.
Bush petunias are used in landscape design for registration flowerbeds and flower beds, to create bright compositions on the lawn. The peculiarity of the group lies in the fact that when the petunias grow, they occupy the entire space and cover it with a bright floral carpet.
- the instability of flowers to gusts of wind
- loss of decorativeness in rainy weather
- small formation of flowers and buds on one plant
But, despite this, the decorativeness of the plant is restored soon.
Pirouette F1
Gustomahrovye flowers varieties Pirouette F1 have an impressive size
- Large, double flowers of exquisite form bloom over compact, well-branched bushes.
- An adult plant does not exceed 35 cm in height and 30 cm in width: grows like this "ball".
- Due to the strong double flowers, abundant flowering and large size of the "ball", the variety has earned universal popularity. One flower in diameter can reach 10-13 cm.
- It blooms very early, is resistant to changing weather conditions, the variety does not lose the color of the flowers for a long time - they are always bright.
- Sowing seeds in the last decade of February - early March (it all depends on the possibility of organizing additional lighting). When sowing, it is not recommended to bury the seeds, you need to scatter them over the surface and lightly press down with your finger or palm so that they better come into contact with the ground.
- It is used to decorate flowerbeds, flower beds, borders, used for planting in balcony boxes, hanging planters, vases.
Anastasia F1
Anastasia F1
- A low-growing annual plant, characterized by abundant and long flowering.
- The petals of the flowers are painted with a light purple color.
- On each of them, lilac veins are clearly visible.
- Flowers size - 6 cm.
- The variety is resistant to adverse conditions, used to decorate flower beds, balcony boxes, for planting on the lawn.
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Unlike bush petunias, this species has small flowers that impress few gardeners. OHowever, what it lacks in flower size it makes up for in abundance. Bushes of small-flowered petunias are always strewn with the luxury of flowers.
The view is diverse, includes terry and two-tone forms., characterized by resistance to weather conditions, abundant and long flowering.
Medium-sized flowers of a multi-flowered petunia cover the entire space allotted for growing with a dense carpet.
- small flowers completely cover the petunia bush
- early flowering time
- have resistance to cold and winds, do not droop in rainy weather
Modern F1 hybrids, bred by breeders, look decorative, and if planted in the front garden, then you simply cannot look away from the flowering "balls".
Charm (variegated mix of colors)
Charm (variegated mix of colors)
- An annual plant with a long flowering period. On a compact bush up to 25 cm high, many small flowers bloom.
- From a mixture of small-flowered petunias Charm, you can create interesting compositions and decorate balcony boxes, plant them in a flower bed.
- To achieve early flowering helps sowing seeds in the early stages - the end of February. Plant out in a permanent location after the threat of frost has passed.
- It grows well and develops on fertile soil rich in useful substances. Does not like excessive watering, only as needed. For lush and long flowering, it is recommended to apply mineral fertilizers.
- Flowering begins in July and continues until September.
Mirage
Variety Mirage with bright crimson flowers and a white-green throat
- An annual plant with a bush height of up to 30 cm. The series includes petunias with a variety of flower colors, reaching a diameter of 6-8 cm.
- Compact bushes during the growing season are completely strewn with flowers.
- The series is distinguished by the simultaneous formation of several outlets. With proper care, flowering can continue until frost.
- Suitable for growing in open areas, as it is distinguished by the ability to quickly restore the decorativeness of flowers after rain.
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Ampel
Ampelous petunias
- Long shoots of creeping petunias, completely covered with flowers, contributed to the discovery of a new group of flowers. Ampelous petunias do not grow up, their shoots tend to fall down.
- Ampel varieties are planted in hanging pots, containers, some gardeners grow it right in the flower bed. Among the varieties of ampelous petunias, perennial plants can be found.
- Ampel varieties are used for planting in tall pots with legs. Gorgeous compositions serve as a decoration for a summer cottage.
- Long shoots of flowering petunias create a beautiful cascade that can fall from hanging containers.
Popular varietal series:
- Conchita
- Supertunia
- Futura
- Surfinia
- Cascadias
Surfinia
Surfinia petunia
- Surfinia is the most popular series. Surfinia is characterized by increased resistance to adverse conditions, characterized by rapid growth of shoots.
- The group includes numerous varieties with a variety of characteristics: undersized and tall, small and large-flowered, with delicate and bright flowers.
- When growing undersized varieties, it is possible to cut them and form a neat ball.
- Surfinia blooms profusely, and the flowers are characterized by saturation of shades. Many identify ampelous petunia with surfinia, however, do not confuse, because surfinia is only a series of varieties.
- Surfinia is distinguished by the elegance of flowers and the variety of colors.
- rapid growth of green mass
- variety of color palette
- resistance to changing weather conditions
- good tillering
A rich palette of surfinia colors is represented by the following varieties: Lime, Pink Vein, Giant purple, Double Purple.
Supertunia
Supertunia in pots
- A series of varieties belongs to Japanese breeders.
- The appearance of the new varieties is similar to surfinia, but the technical characteristics have some differences.
Lavender Morn
Lavender Morn
- Flowers with a palette of soft pink to lilac shades. Wide open flowers with slightly fringed edges.
Mystic Pink
Mystic Pink, an amazing luxury of raspberry pink flowers
Royal Magenta
Royal Magenta, petals painted bright crimson
Royal Velvet
Royal Velvet, luxury purple shades
Tumbelina
Tumbelina
- The opening of a varietal series belongs to Japanese breeders.
- The highlight of this series lies in the flowers of small sizes. The flowers are densely double, dark veins are clearly visible on each petal.
Priscila
Priscila, against the background of pale lilac petals, purple veins are clearly visible
wonderwave
wonderwave
- A series of varieties of Russian selection. A feature of plants is the ability to propagate petunias not only by cuttings, but also by seeds.
- Characteristics are not much different from the ampelous plants themselves.
- The flowers are medium in size, in diameter can be from 5 cm to 8 cm.
- Coloring of flowers: lilac, raspberry, violet, white, pink, salmon, lilac.
- The combination of white and purple hues of the Wonderwave variety gives the impression of purity and innocence, like indoor varieties.Groom and bride».
Conchita
Conchita
- In appearance, petunia flowers resemble calibrachoa.
- The color of the flowers is different.
- The color can be white, the pharynx is colored greenish, lilac, there are dark crimson varieties.
- A series of varieties includes simple and terry varieties.
- Contita is suitable for growing in hanging pots.
- Gramophone flowers fall down in a beautiful cascade.
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Petunias come to our country from different countries, for example, Dutch and American petunias have proven themselves well. All varieties have a weakly branched root system.
All varieties quickly increase their green mass, bloom profusely. If you look at a blooming vegetative petunia, you will see a huge ball strewn with bright flowers before your eyes.
Cardinal
Cardinal
- The most common and beautiful variety of vegetative petunias.
- Flower color is deep purple. On the edge of the petals are slightly corrugated.
- The variety blooms very early.
- With good care, flowering can continue until the first frost. Unpretentious and resistant to changes in weather conditions.
- The rich shades of the Cardinal variety are majestic. Looks great in hanging pots.
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Cascading
Graceful plants can be decorated gazebos, place in hanging pots on the balconies and loggias or terraces.
Cascading petunias have long, curly shoots.. For full development, flowers require a lot of space (space), as the shoots grow in all directions.
Cascading petunias are recommended to be grown in hanging planters. The root system is quite developed, at least 5 liters of nutrient soil is required for 1 plant.
Ramblin
Petunia Ramblin with peach flowers
- The series was obtained by breeders from America.
- Among lovers of ornamental flowering gardens, it occupies the first place.
- On upright shoots, up to 35 cm long, side shoots develop, the length of which exceeds 1 m.
- Flowers amaze the imagination with their large size.
- There are varieties with white, peach, purple, red, pink, lilac flowers.
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
- He gained popularity thanks to long shoots reaching 1 meter.
- When the plant grows, the shoots become like flowering garlands.
- In addition, it pleases with abundant flowering, although the flowers cannot be called large.
- Bushes do not exceed 20 cm. Gioconda prefers bright sunlight.
- Bushes with bright crimson, light lilac and rich pink flowers stand out on the lawn with a bright spot.
- It is possible to grow in hanging planters, in flower beds.
- Purple, scarlet, pink and orange flowers.
Typhoon
Typhoon
- An exclusive plant that does not have its own kind.
- Differs in long flowering.
- The bushes are powerful, sprawling, the shoots are elastic and long.
- It is characterized by rapid growth, on one bush it forms many buds and flowers.
- Flowering continues until frost.
- The plant bushes well and requires a lot of space.
- It can be grown in a flower bed and in a hanging planter.
- When planting in open ground, it does not like thickening of plantings.
- You should know that one plant will need an area of 2 m2.
- Prefers sunny areas, needs regular feeding.
- Quickly restores decorativeness after heavy rains.
Sonata F1
Sonata F1
- Cascade terry variety. An annual plant reaches a height of 40 cm, a flower diameter of 12 cm.
- Beautiful corrugated stars appear on the plant 14 days earlier than other varieties.
- Bushes grow very quickly, shoots reach a length of 40 cm, cascade down.
- A snow-white scattering of large double flowers of the hybrid variety Sonata F1.
Variety characteristics:
- long flowering
- early bud emergence
- unpretentiousness in care
- drought resistant
- prefers sunny places
- They germinate only at constant humidity, therefore, overdrying of the surface should not be allowed.
- If the seeds are sown in February, the seedlings need additional illumination.
- Picking is carried out when 2 true leaves appear on the plant.
- Needs pinching over 5 leaves.
- Landing in a permanent place is carried out after the threat of frost has passed.
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Among terry hybrids, new varieties appear every year.Moreover, they can be in each group, no matter if they are ampelous or bush petunias.
Terry varieties require more attention than simple ones. Many gardeners note that they face difficulties in growing just such varieties with wavy flowers.
Variety Pirouette F1
Variety Pirouette F1. Huge caps of white and burgundy flowers rise in a lush hat above the dark green foliage
- Among terry hybrids, new varieties appear every year. Moreover, they can be in each group, no matter if they are ampelous or bush petunias.
- Terry varieties require more attention than simple ones. Many gardeners note that they face difficulties in growing just such varieties with wavy flowers.
- A double flower in itself is a huge flower, so it is recommended to grow varieties in a place protected from the wind so that the shoots do not fall under the weight of flowers and break.
The same Pirouette F1, only pink flowers are bordered by a white stripe
Mystical black petunias for lovers of dark shades
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Petunia - annual and perennial plants, belong to the Solanaceae family.. Grown mainly as an annual crop.
Luxurious cap of semi-double petunia flowers
All representatives of the species have a bushy shape, are distinguished by the rapid growth of green mass, good branching of the shoots. The plants produce many flowers with both delicate and bright effective coloring.
Few plants exceed 40 cm in height and 30 cm in diameter. Green or dark green oval-shaped foliage, 5-10 cm long.
Balcony decoration with different varieties of petunias
Petunia types:
- multiflorous (Multiflora)
- large-flowered (Grandiflora)
Petunia multiflora flowers are rich in color, small in size, up to 5 cm in diameter. Beautiful bushes can decorate flower bed or mixborder. All varieties are less susceptible to adverse weather conditions, quickly recovering after rain.
Large-flowered petunias are intended for growing in hanging pots.
Flowers are quite impressive in size: from 10 cm in diameter and above. Varieties suffer from rain and do not tend to quickly recover from stress.
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To get early flowering of petunias, you will need to sow seeds for seedlings in February-March. The development cycle of petunias has a long period, the plant blooms only 10 weeks after sowing. Growing seedlings are doing at home.
A mixture of varieties of terry and semi-double petunias
In order for the seedlings to turn out healthy and strong, a number of conditions will need to be met, because petunia is only at first glance a harmless plant. And practice shows that it requires proper care, only in this case it pleases the owner with abundant flowering.
Seed selection
Creating beautiful petunia compositions begins with the right selection of seeds.
- For decorating hanging pots or boxes to choose ampel varieties. It is important to know that even with regular pinching, petunia seedlings still grow poorly, so when transplanting seedlings into containers, seedlings will have to be planted closer to each other.
- Bush varieties are suitable for flower bed decorations.
- Which seeds are best: coated or regular? There are fewer problems with ordinary seeds, and caring for them is familiar. But with dragees you have to tinker.The fact is that they germinate only in moist soil, if even a slight overdrying of the earthy coma is allowed, the seeds will dry out. That network, when sowing pelleted seeds, it is necessary to constantly monitor the soil moisture.
- A mixture of varieties is much cheaper, but expectation and reality do not always justify each other: you can get plants of the same color and then you don’t have to talk about creating any composition. It is better to choose a petunia for specific varieties.
Dragee and seeds without shell. As practice has shown, pelleted seeds are the key to successful plant cultivation, but subject to maintaining air and soil moisture.
Many flower growers complain about poor seed germination. When buying, it is important to pay attention not only to the date of manufacture and expiration date, but also to the manufacturer.
What determines the time of sowing seeds for seedlings?
In magazines for flower growers, many recommend timing the sowing of seeds by the end of March.. This time is characterized by a good length of daylight hours, which will allow the seedlings to form a good rosette and not reach for the light. If you sow earlier, you will have to illuminate the plants.
Variety of varietal petunias: photo of flowers
Consider the rules for sowing seeds depending on room conditions:
With early planting without the possibility of additional illumination, seedlings will develop poorly: growth will slow down, the seedlings will look frail, unable to resist diseases.
With late planting, the flowering period will be slightly pushed back in time. It is not too early and too late to sow the seeds.
You need to know that flowering occurs after 3.5-4 months from sowing seeds.
Soil selection
For a successful growing seedlings it is necessary to choose a quality soil containing all the useful substances. It is important that the soil does not cake over time, otherwise a fungal environment will form on the surface and the plants will die.
Specialized stores sell soil intended for sowing seeds and growing seedlings. Undoubtedly, there are advantages in such soil, however, it is required to look at the composition of the soil.
This is not because they carried out improper care, it’s just that the soil was not originally intended for use in its pure form. It is better to use it as an additive to ordinary earth, and then, in small quantities.
The best soil for planting flower crops. And everyone!
However, I would like to draw attention to the fact that it is better to buy not huge packages of 25 liters, but rather 10 liters. The fact is that a smaller volume is sold out faster and the land does not lie in stores for a long time.
When choosing a soil, it is important to pay attention to its composition.
And, if it is written on the package that it contains high-moor peat, it is better to refuse to buy, otherwise all your efforts in growing petunia seedlings will fail.
TerraVita primer has proven itself well. It does not cake, the production is based on coconut fiber, which ensures good breathability. In such soil, the seeds not only germinate quickly, the seedlings quickly gain strength and start growing faster, which is an important condition for growing petunia seedlings.
Priming
To prepare the soil at home, you will need to take turf soil, peat and sand. When choosing sand, preference should be given to river, but not street, red.In ordinary sand, the content of iron oxide is off scale.
The color of river sand is grayish or white.
Before compiling the mixture, each of the components must be sieved to remove lumps and small pebbles.
After that, combine the soddy soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. To disinfect the soil, you will need to calcine it in the oven, remove it and leave it for 2 days to enrich the soil with natural microflora. Only after that it will be possible to sow petunia seeds.
Selection of containers and sowing seeds
For sowing, seedling containers, peat cups or peat tablets are used.
What do experienced flower growers advise?
Petunia seeds germinate in the light, so when sowing granules, they should not be buried in the soil, you can only lightly press them.
Subject to the temperature regime, the seeds hatch very quickly. The optimum air temperature is +25 °C. Air humidity is important, which should be at least 98%.
petunia seedling
Of course, the conditions are simple, but they must be met. To maintain humidity, you can cover the planting with plastic wrap and put the cups on the windowsill. Well, if there are batteries under it.
In order for the seedlings to breathe, the mini-greenhouse will have to be ventilated from time to time. The film can be replaced with a non-woven fabric. After the seedlings grow up a little, they are accustomed to room temperature, only removing shelter for a couple of hours a day.
Peat tablets - a good option for growing seedlings, but it is only good if the seeds are sown only for themselves, since the tablets are not so cheap, given that only one petunia rosette is grown in one tablet.
Before use, peat tablets will have to be "saturated" with water so that they increase in size.
After sowing the seeds, the tablets are placed in a container with a lid to create greenhouse conditions. Further care is the same as for seedlings in cups.It is important to observe the seedlings and prevent condensation from accumulating on the lid.
To remove excess moisture, you will need to remove the cover and ventilate the landing. In the first weeks of life, seedlings are very capricious. At this time, the root mass is growing and there is practically no development of green mass.
Seedlings start growing 1.5 months after germination.
Picking seedlings into separate cups
When the seedlings grow up, they are transplanted into separate containers: plastic disposable cups, small pots with good drainage holes, jars of yogurt or sour cream (budget option).
When choosing the size of containers, it should be taken into account that petunias have a well-branched root system, so small and small cups will not be able to ensure its normal development. It will take about 2-3 months from germination to planting in the ground, so the root system must be provided with enough space and bulk containers should be selected.
Quite a powerful and branched root system that requires a certain space for development
Picking should be carried out in 2 stages: the first is carried out after the appearance of 2 true leaves on the plant, the second - a month after the first, but only if the seedlings are developing well and they do not have enough space.
Watering plants: looking at water quality
Petunia seedlings need moderate watering, only after the earthen clod has dried.
Proper watering is the key to successful petunia cultivation.
When moistening the soil, it is important to follow the rules:
It is undesirable to water from a watering can. It is better to use a fine spray gun. Drying out and waterlogging of the soil adversely affect the condition of the plants. Excessively moist soil contributes to the development of a black leg, which leads to sprouts to rot and die.
Watering in a pan is the most reliable way to avoid the death of petunias. Excess water must be drained after a while.
Water without chlorine is an important rule! Water only with soft, settled water at room temperature. before watering, it is advisable to add a drop of lemon to the water.
The temperature of the water and the substrate must match! In no case do not water with cold water.
In sunny weather, watering is carried out in the evening, since in the daytime the water evaporates strongly, and the intensive growth of the plant is observed at night.
How and when to pinch seedlings?
An important procedure, ignoring which will lead to the formation of an irregularly shaped bush. The appearance of an adult plant depends on the correct pinching, and such characteristics as the width of the bush, splendor, how many buds can form will depend on the pinching.
The pinching procedure can be carried out with scissors, you can simply pinch off with your hands
Appearing from seeds, petunia has only a central shoot, which constantly stretches upwards. When 4 true leaves are formed on it, the shoot is pinched just above the kidney. By pinching off the growth point, we allow the plant to grow new shoots. The bushes become lush, thick and compact, similar to a "ball".
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Petunia is resistant to weather changes, including a decrease in air temperature.
However, it is recommended to replant plants at a time when the threat of frost has passed, otherwise nightly low temperatures will have a negative impact on the further development of seedlings.
The best time for a transplant is the end of May - the first days of June.
The choice of fertilizers for top dressing
The full development of plants is impossible without the introduction of additional fertilizer. During the growing season, petunias need to be fed, because growth and lush flowering depend on the availability of nutrients.
If there are enough of them, petunia bushes will bloom profusely until the very frost.
You need to choose specialized fertilizers
It is advisable to choose complex fertilizersso that you do not have to calculate the concentration of each of them. Petunias need more potassium supplements, so when choosing fertilizers, it is advisable to read the composition and see that the potassium content has a high percentage.
Care of flowering plants
If petunias grow in a flower bed, it is necessary to constantly loosen the soil around the plants and water them. After flowering, it is required to cut off the dried inflorescences so that the plants do not waste energy on setting seeds.
Growing ampelous petunias in hanging planters: the beauty and compactness of the bush depend on the correct pinching of the tops of the plants
In addition, even adult flowering plants need to be pinched. Removing the tops promotes tillering of the petunias.
Petunias are the best. Season Winner
Petunia: description of the 20 best varieties | Types: ampelous, vegetative, cascading, terry, small-flowered | (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
I was inspired by the idea, peeped in the nursery, for the favorable development of seedlings. Just after picking, I plant them, approximately dividing the young into two groups by size, into plastic cassettes. Letting them grow up. And later I plant them in pots of three. So they grow, giving volume, but not crushing each other. The main thing is to cut off the tops in time, for a set of green leaves, giving luxury and volume to the whole composition. I love ampel varieties, for loggias, terraces are very suitable. And hidden from the wind.
Thank you! Everything is very clear and understandable. I found answers to all my questions.
And thank you for your positive comment!
Hello, the article is good, I found a lot of useful things for myself. It’s just written on your site in large letters
PETUNIA
KOLEVA GARDEN (instead of the queen).