Petunias Add Panache

6/13/2007

(ARA) - Too many choices for your garden? Don't know where to start? Or what to buy? This spring we have a secret for you: Plant petunias. Lots of them.

Petunias are one of the toughest, most versatile flowers you can plant, and they don't require a green thumb for you to grow them. You can plant them in full sun just about anywhere -- in beds, borders, baskets or window boxes -- and they'll bloom all season long from the time you plant them until first frost.

"Don't get just any old petunia," says Justin Hancock of Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living Magazine. "They're not all the same. Some varieties perform better than others."

The real performer and pacesetter in the world of petunias is the Wave petunia. This low-growing, heat tolerant, long flowering, spreading plant is the number one petunia in the world.

Yes, petunias have long been a fixture in our gardens and garden-scapes. Your grandmother surely planted them. Today's Wave petunias will wow you, adding instant style to any garden or container. Here are six ways to liven up your landscape with petunias -- lots of them.

1. Decorate your doorway. The entrance to your home establishes your style. Create a fabulous focal point by planting a combination of colors front and center. Tidal Wave petunias will spread and mound quickly, instantly adding color and punch to the front of your home.

2. Put them on a pedestal and elevate your landscape. One of the basic essentials of design should include height to create interest. A simple solution to varying degrees of elevation in your landscape is potting petunias and placing them on a pedestal. Not only is the look distinguished and stately, it also adds enormous interest to the outdoors. Try new Easy Wave Rosy Dawn for a soft, elegant look.

3. Bank 'em in your beds. A traditional groundcover is useful, especially in difficult to tend spots. This spring try using Easy Wave petunias to unify differing components in your landscape. Easy Wave plants will not only provide an easy, low maintenance solution to landscaping challenges, they will also add mounds of continuous color all season long. These beautiful bloomers will soften any hardscape: walks, steps, driveways and rock walls.

4. Punch up your patio with pots of petunias. Not everybody has the time, space or inclination to tackle an entire yard. Container gardening, however, allows you to create an instant garden for any space, big or small. Plant four Easy Wave petunias in a terracotta pot and plop it on your patio. Voila -- instant outdoor eye candy! Create multiple pots in any color choice to create a flowering patio sanctuary. Best of all, with container gardening, redesigning your home landscape is as simple as moving and regrouping your containers.

5. Unleash them in an urn. Design your outdoor spaces with the same style and flair as your indoor spaces. Plant Double Wave petunias in an urn as a centerpiece in the garden or patio to create true classic style. Double Wave Blue Velvet is a new, regal color and a great choice for any urn.

6. Load 'em in your landscape. Let the flowers flow! Plant Tidal Wave and Easy Wave petunias together en masse to make a splash in your landscape. Then stand back and expect to stop traffic. Remember to take advantage of color combinations. Complementary colors, such as pinks, purples and whites give a soft, soothing air to the landscape. Contrasting colors like whites and reds make a strong, bold statement.

All Wave petunias prefer sunny spots -- at least six hours of direct sunlight is best, but don't let them dry out. Wave petunias are hungry plants, so keep them well-fed with an all-purpose fertilizer every couple of weeks, especially when grown in containers. Courtesy of ARA Content