My FIL told me last year to leave my petunias in my containers thru the winter and when spring arrived I would have new petunias. I live in zone 7. Could this possibly be true?
( I attached the WRONG picture and I don't know how to change it! )
This message was edited Mar 3, 2009 10:14 AM
I know that Ruellia, common name "Mexican Petunia" is a perennial but I thought the regular garden Petunia's were all annuals. In some climates certain annuals will act as a perennial and survive for more than one season. Maybe there are new varieties of Petunia's that are more perennial?
There are many, many Petunia's listed in Plant Files: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=petunia&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search maybe you can look through some of them and find one that is perennial in your zone.
They're annuals, I don't know if they're ones that would reseed readily or not but that's the only way you'd get new plants coming up. I haven't grown petunias since I moved out here, but when I lived in zone 6 I grew them and they never reseeded there--I don't know if being 1 zone warmer would be enough to make a difference on whether they'd reseed or not.
No No...the petunia is an annual here. Somehow though, he leaves his hanging in baskets thru the winter and they bloom again the following year. He swears to me that he does nothing to them...they just rebloom.
For Father's Day two years ago I bought him a hanging basket of purple petunias from Wal Mart. Just Wal Mart petunias. Last summer I was bragging on his flowers. The man can grow anything...and he said to me, "That's the petunias you bought me last year". I thought he was kidding...but he swore it was the truth!
Lisa
I know it's possible for some annuals to over -winter and resume blooming, because I have had a few petunias that have done so in the past. I found this curious as well. The occasions when this has happened were when the plants remained in a full sun exposure and appeared to be in some sort of micro-climate and managed to make it through the winter unscathed. I've also had it happen with snapdragons. These were original plants and NOT re-seeds.
I have some mystery petunias like that also. They were here when we bought this property almost three years ago. In fact, they were a foot high and blooming like crazy in February when we looked at the property. It had been a very mild winter. They come back every year in the exact same places. I've had a clear plastic sheet over one bed off and on nearly all winter. A month ago, they were blooming under the plastic. I don't see them in the other area under the edge of the front deck, but I expect them to come back when it gets warmer.
While I think some of them are likely reseeded ones, I am sure that at least some are actually returnees. They are in two locations that are very well protected from the cold. In your FIL's case, since they were hanging down off the edge of the pot, it's unlikely they would be reseeding.
It wasn't easy finding them, but apparently, the South American petunia, Petunia integrifolia, is a perennial, hardy into the 20s. I did find an article that said the Wave and Tidal Wave petunias have the perennial petunia in their parentage and will over-winter in some areas.
https://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/p%20-%20r/petunia_integrifolia_wp.htm
http://www.dianeseeds.com/petunia-integrifolia.html
http://www.horticopia.com/hortpix/html/pc4023.htm
I think your FIL has some of these perennial ones and no one told him he was supposed to throw them out. LOL.
Karen
Thanks for all the comments. Karen thank you for the links!
I did leave mine in their pots, just like he told me to. If they come back it will be a nice surprise. If they don't, then I'll just have to tell him that he is a way better gardener than I can ever hope to be!
Thanks again everyone!
Lisa
This is the right picture by the way...
Hi Lisa,
Beautiful petunias. We don't know for sure if yours are the perennial variety or not, but if not they may have some of it in their parentage. Let us know how it comes out.
Mine are a pink-lavender color.
Karen
Thanks Karen!
I'm just telling myself...what have I got to lose by trying? It's not like it's hard work or anything...just leaving the basket hanging right? If they do rebloom that'll be great. If they don't...I'm sure Lowe's will have plenty for me to put back in those baskets!
Lisa
I have 'wave petunias' that I leave in the ground and they have been coming back for 4 years.
They are called annuals and I had no idea that they could possible come back. I have added a few different colors over the past couple of years and they all come back.
We just got done having 4" of rare snowfall, so we will see what happens this year.
chris
Chris,
I think we are in the same zone so I am just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
We had 13 inches of snow here...it's great for the plants...right?
Lisa
Lisa,
Wow, 13". Tooooo much for me. That requires a shovel. Mine just melted. LOL
I have lived here for 10 years and all total we have had 9" during the 3 snow "storms".
Good luck with the petunias!
chris
Petunias are a great lesson in true annuals versus tender perennials. True annuals germinate, flower, set seeds and die regardless of which zone they are in (at the moment I can't think of a good example, maybe Marigolds?). Most plants that we think of as annuals like most standard bedding plants are actually tender perennials. Petunias (especially the Wave Series), Mexican Heather and Callibrachoa have all come back here in zone 7b, and they definitely came back from the original plant not from seed. That's why I never pull up my "annuals" in fall, I just mulch them and knock on wood :)
I have also had my petunias bloom all the way through winter then cut back and new growth and bloom in spring. Didn't look very good and got mildew so I took them out. Fun though. They were sort of pinkish mauve with yellow veining.
