Petunia

Annual. This old petunia was popular with gardeners throughout much of the first part of the 20th century, but has nearly been lost to cultivation because of seed companies’ interests in selling newer varieties. This variety has delightfully fragrant blooms in shades of rose, lavender and purple. Trailing plants are perfect for adding color and fragrance to window boxes and hanging baskets. Edible flowers are fun in salads.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: Yes
• Petunia hybrida pendula

This bicolored, bubblegum-pink and white petunia has frayed and ruffled edges, making it one of the most cheerful and eye-catching varieties we have ever seen. Plants reach just over 1 foot tall and are smothered with these fascinating 2- to 2.5-inch blooms. This variety was bred by Cerny Seed Company in the Czech Republic, where it is enjoyed as a bedding or container petunia, praised for its versatility.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Petunia hybrida

Annual. A dazzling petunia with diminutive purple blooms like a cluster of stars! This unique petunia is semi-trailing, reaching about 14" wide and 12" high. When the British seed company Thompson and Morgan was sent a sample of a white petunia with unusually small sized flowers, they spent 10 years selecting and perfecting this variety from that original seed stock, finally releasing this eye-catching mix! The variety has received the prestigious Fleuroselect Novelty award and is a perfect fix for the flower bed, containers and any other spot needing a cheer up!

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: Yes
• Petunia hybrida

Growing Tips: Surface sow, keep uniformly moist and very warm. Grow the tiny seedlings indoors for 8-10 weeks, set out after last frost. Pinching young shoots makes for more compact habit.

A fabulous mix of heavily ruffled, mammoth blooms in a range of colors and forms. Tones of lavender, plum, purple and ivory make this a sweet mix. All blooms have deeply ruff led edges; some are double petaled and some are single. Plants average 1-2 feet in height and are smothered in massive, 5- to 7-inch flowers. This variety comes from Cerny Seed Company in the Czech Republic. Pollinators can’t resist this variety, and it produces delicious edible flowers.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 10-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Petunia superbissima

Truly one of the most whimsical flowers we have ever seen! These mammoth blooms are bursting with cherry flavor! The flower heads have ruffled edges and reach a whopping 7 inches across, in a mix of magenta to violet colors. This variety from Cerny Seed Company in the Czech Republic is a favorite in the Baker Creek trial garden… and the kitchen! This edible flower has a delicious cherry flavor that can be used in baking and homemade beverages. We enjoyed making doughnuts using these petunias to impart that essential cherry flavor note. Add this fantastic mix to pots, beds, borders and children’s gardens for a touch of magic.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 10-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Petunia superbissima

Massive white and pink tinted blooms with dramatically veined throats and heavily ruffled edges make Alba stand out in the garden. We love these compact plants, which reach just 9 inches tall and 28 inches wide and smothered in huge 5-7 inch blooms. This variety comes from Cerny Seed Company in the Czech Republic. It is extremely attractive to pollinators and produces delicious edible flowers. At the Baker Creek test kitchen we boiled the blooms to make a delicious cherry-almond flavored beverage!

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 10-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Petunia superbissima

Gargantuan lavender to rose-colored blooms with deeply ruffled edges will have you wondering if this is actually a petunia! This is the amazing petunia that we used in the Baker Creek test kitchen to make cherry limeade. Boil the petals for a teal-colored beverage; adding a squeeze of lime will turn the mixture bright pink! This “superbissima type” petunia has blooms that reach almost 7 inches across. It comes from Cerny Seed Company in the Czech Republic. The blooms are sweetly scented and have a cherry flavor. This mammoth petunia looks stunning in pots, beds and borders, and it is also highly attractive to a range of pollinators.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 10-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Petunia superbissima

Annual. A native wildflower of South America with fascinating history. The low-growing, heat-tolerant Petunia violacea is floriferous and easy to grow, blooming all summer long. Native to the Ecuador highlands, this plant was traditionally used as a hallucinogenic, with reported sensations of flying or floating. Because the chemicals have not been widely studied, we recommend against ingesting or experimenting with it. We do, however, love it as a versatile bedding or container plant. 

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Seed Depth: Surface Sow
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: Yes
• Petunia violacea

Growing Tips: Surface sow, keep uniformly moist and very warm. Grow the tiny seedlings indoors for 8-10 weeks, set out after last frost. Pinching young shoots makes for more compact habit.