Hardiness zones:
Sunset Depends on use
USDA Depends on use
Landscape Use: Bedding plant in mass planting color borders, cool season bedding plant, hanging basket, container or pot culture.
Form & Character: Showy prostrate perennial used as a cool season annual in Phoenix.
Growth Habit: Prostrate and somewhat spreading, occasionally reaching a height of 18".
Foliage/texture: Viscid green to grayish green, variable size, coarsely pubescent, entire and simple, stems aloe viscid and pubescent; medium texture.
Flowers & fruits: Flowers axillary, solitary, sometimes fragrant, funnel form to double ruffled, myriads of different flower colors.
Seasonal color: Depends on use, mostly for winter and spring color in central Arizona
Temperature: Garden petunias thrive in the 40o to 90oF temperature range. Flower pigmentation (color intensity) is enhanced within its moderate to lower temperature range.
Light: Partial to full sun
Soil: Gardens petunias prefer moist, rich garden soil, but will tolerant some soil alkalinity. Poor soil conditions will result in foliar nutrient deficiencies.
Watering: Needs regular water to maintain an evenly moist soil.
Pruning: Older garden petunia plants can be pruned prune hard to re-encourage vigor, especially in cooler climates where it is grown as a perennial.
Propagation: Seed; asexual propagation (softwood cuttings and tissue culture) are used for reproduction of unstable hybrids
Disease and pests: many including snails, cutworms, tobacco budworm, tobacco mosaic virus, Rhizoctonia stem rot
Additional comments: Garden petunias are easily bred; there are copious numbers of F1 hybrids with an amazing array of different flower colors. Plant 12" apart, don't over crowd as will cause plants to become leggy. Some garden petunia varieties can sometimes reseed in moist landscape areas. Novel cultivated varieties of different flower colors are released each year. Trailing selections such as 'Surfina' (a cross between the wild petunia, Ruellia humilis and Petunia x hybrida) are heavy bloomers that are more environmentally stress tolerant.
