Petunias flood hanging baskets, window boxes, and beds with nonstop, trumpet-shaped color from spring straight through the first fall frost.
Native to South America, petunias have become one of the most widely planted annuals worldwide, with breeding programs producing trailing, mounding, and upright varieties in an enormous range of colors and patterns. Their reliable, prolific bloom has made them a go-to choice for instant summer color.
Petunia symbolizes comfort in the presence of loved ones and a soothing spirit, its cheerful, unfussy nature long tied to feelings of ease and companionship.
Petunias want full sun and rich, well-draining soil, and regular feeding supports their continuous, heavy blooming through the season. Many modern varieties are self-cleaning and don't require deadheading, though shearing back leggy plants mid-summer often revives a fuller, fresh flush of flowers.
Petunia has no significant history of herbal or medicinal use and is grown almost exclusively as a colorful, long-blooming bedding and container ornamental.
