Petunias

When I was working for our local Summer Recreation Program, part of my job was to care for different yards and outdoor areas of various locations in the city. Some of these areas included gardens. I worked with one of my friend’s mom, who grew gorgeous gardens. She taught me so much about gardening and plants! We always planted a lot of petunias in the planter boxes. At that time, and up until recently, we always purchased these from a local greenhouse. The past couple of years, I have had success starting them from seed!

Petunias, once the seedlings are established, are really easy to grow and care for. Depending on the weather, I generally water mine every 2-3 days and utilize MiracleGro fertilizer once a week!

Petunias come in a huge variety of colors and few different overall varieties, including the popular Wave Petunia. Wave petunias are known for their trailing properties and are a great plant for hanging baskets and planters as they will spill over the sides!

Cara and I don’t personally test the safety of any plants not intended for consumption. All information in regards to this is based on my own research using multiple sources! You should always do your own research when it comes to what you should and shouldn’t allow people and pets to eat.

Once flowers dry up, pinch off (don’t just pull of the dry part) the dried bloom at the base of the bud. This will make the plant look more attractive not only because you are getting rid of dead blooms, but it also encourages more flowers to grow!

I very highly recommend these flowering beauties to any first-time planters! They are easy to care for and grow and are quite forgiving if you forget to water for a few days, or if they get a little too much water! They are also so pretty and there are many, many options and colors to choose from! I do recommend purchasing from a greenhouse! While they are easy to grow once seedlings are established, they take quite awhile to establish from seed!

Are you sold on using petunias in your planters next year? Or many you already have them? Regardless of what you plant, you should try planting something! I find it very rewarding. And if you are one of the “my house is where plants go to die” people, I think this is a good option for you! 🙂 Plus… if you hate it… they are annuals and you only have to deal with having plants for the summer months! 🙂