Quick Guide: summer, half hardy, full sun, height: 23-30cm/9-12in, width: 30cm/12in
Summer bedding would not be the same without the trumpet shaped flowers of petunia hybrids providing a focus of colour that is vivid without being gaudy. Ideal for window-boxes and tubs, the trailing varieties combine particularly well with lobelia, alyssum, fuchsias and pelargoniums.
PROPAGATION Sow seed in early spring under protection with gentle heat. Prick the seedlings out into boxes when they are large enough to handle and harden off before planting out in late spring.
GROWING Petunias like reasonably fertile, free-draining soil and a warm, sunny position. Give them an occasional highpotash feed. Water regularly, especially if in containers, and remove faded flowerheads regularly. Discard after flowering.
VARIETIES Numerous named hybrids are available. Multifloras bear a profusion of 5cm/2in blooms; Grandifloras carry fewer, but larger, flowers. `Resisto Mixed': multifloras, red, pink, yellow, white, blue; `Multiflora Double Mixed', large frilled flowers; `Super Fanfare Mixed', grandifloras, double flowers.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Aphids on young shoots
