These varieties consistently proved that they are more robust with longer and more impressive flowering
My garden is not heavily implant with floweringannuals . I focus more on trees , shrubs , and herbaceous perennial . However , I ca n’t refuse supply people of colour to mycontainersand filling blank spots in my perennial border with yearly . So if I ’m going to constitute an yearly , it needs to do . I look for something that flowers nearly nonstop and is n’t overly fussy . It ’s unvoiced to traverse hybrid Petunia ( Petuniacvs . , annual ) find out all the box . They are tough , drought - tolerant , blooming machines . If you ’re going to plant one annual , petunias are a good choice .
But which petunia is good ? Many universities across the Southeast , including the University of Georgia , North Carolina State University , and the University of Tennessee , trialall variety of annual plants , including petunia . Well , the data point is in , and I wanted to share combined outcome from these university in our region . All the petunias that came out on top of the test solvent have been get by or marketed by specific company in the industry . These findings have not been regulate by any of those companies . I am simply share the results from independent tests done by universities . You may not have heard of some of these company name . They are often the supplier to retail growers .
Best of the best Supertunia®varieties from Proven Winners
Known to be self - cleanup and very floriferous , the Supertunia ® serial of petunias from the Proven Winners plant brand have a lot of good pick . proved Winners lists these petunias in three unlike way . First , the steady Supertunia ® are shorter and are great for landscape beds or slop out of a container . The petunias heel in the Vista ® series are taller , vigorous , and have a nebular mound riding habit . Petunias listed as Mini Vista ® are clearly smaller ; while still mound , they also spill and cascade . They thrive at the edge of beds or in container and have modest - size flowers . There are lashings of different petunia cultivars in this series . If I had to pick one from the series , it would beSupertunia Vista ® Bubblegum ® petunia(Petunia‘USTUNI6001 ’ ) . This has been a success year over year in trial and in my garden . For me , it is just the right-hand shade of pinko that pair perfectly with other annual . I additionally wanted to share other top regional picks for you from the series :
The Durabloom®series from Dümmen Orange has one of the best purple petunias
Dümmen Orange has a crazy issue of petunia offerings for the public . They have pushed the envelope when it comes to newcolor combinations . However , in visitation in the Southeast , Durabloom ® Electric Lilac petuniahas been a top performer . This industrial plant comes from a series of petunias that are interspecies hybrids . With this industrial plant , you get bright , vividpurpleflowers , a nice ramification social system with a spreading riding habit , and good overall durability .
Petunias from Ball Horticultural’s family of companies turn heads
The originalWave ® Purple Classic spreading petunia(Petunia‘PAS3186 ’ ) , which debut in 1995 , was a true gardening find . Strangely enough , this petunia was discovered by a Japanese beer company . The Wave ® brand is one that nurseryman have lie with for geezerhood . Innovation in petunias continues through Ball Horticultural ’s various works - breeding company . One of the top petunias on the list from recent trials isTidal Wave ® atomic number 47 petunia(Petunia‘PAS97287 ’ ) . I singled this genus Petunia out from other top trial performers because of its unique blanched - pinkish - silver color and overall vigor . to boot , this petunia was honored as an All - America Selections Winner for outstanding performance and long - lasting colouring . Many of the varieties in Ball FloraPlant ’s ColorRush ™ series of petunias also did very well in trials . Below is an extra list of Petunia that perform well in the Southeast from various Ball ’s Horticultural companies .
Suntory Flowers has one of the best two-tone petunias
Suntory is a large , diverse company . Its Surfinia ® selection of petunias precede Wave ® petunias and was marketed in Europe in the very former nineties . Coincidentally , much like the Wave ® petunias , this was spearhead by a Nipponese society that focuses on alcohol production . There are many petunias now in this serial . One of the top performers in recent trials has beenSurfinia ® Purple Heart genus Petunia . This is a magenta - and - white-hot catherine wheel - flowered genus Petunia that has done well in the Southeast , particularly in containers . This is an extremely fast - growing petunia with a dense , profuse bloom .
How to care for petunias
Petunias aretough plants — so tough , in fact , that I have construe plant rebound even after containers have been left to go os dry . However , there are a few things to bonk . genus Petunia like full Dominicus , they do n’t like to beoverwatered , and you ca n’t be afraid tocut them back . stress to forfend plant petunia in the same spot every year to avoid disease . body of water petunias only when the land has started to dry out . When tearing , I try out to annul getting foliage and flower wet . This is achieve by place a lacrimation sceptre under the leafage at low pressure level . In the middle of the mature time of year , give petunias a haircut . I often reduce plants by half . This keep flora looking their respectable afterward in the time of year . I suggest using the liquidfertilizerof your choice on genus Petunia about once a calendar month to keep them growing strong ( more often in container ) . Picking a ripe petunia variety that is a proven performer in the Southeast is important . The list furnish here is a good one . However , do n’t be afraid to go off script and seek a fresh smorgasbord that catches your heart .
For more on top - perform annuals , check out :
And for more southeasterly regional reports , click here .
— Andy Pulte is a faculty member in the plant life sciences department at the University of Tennessee .
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Tidal Wave® Silver petunia is a top performer with long-lasting color.Photo: Ball Horticultural Company
Supertunia Vista®Bubblegum®petunia might have light pink flowers, but they still pop in a container or in the landscape.Photo: Proven Winners
“Electric” certainly describes the vibrantly bright flowers of Durabloom®Electric Lilac petunia.Photo: Dümmen Orange
Tidal Wave®Silver petunias have a very unique color, with some flowers that are magenta-pink and some that are white.Photo: Jason Reeves
ColorRush™ Red has stunning dark red flowers whose color holds even after a rainstorm.Photo: Penn State University
The purple-and-white-striped pattern of Surfinia®Purple Heart petunia makes it seem like there are five purple hearts in the crux of the petals.Photo: Suntory Flowers
