How To Grow... Petunias

Profuse, fast-growing and bursting with colour, this mainstay of baskets and borders is a surprisingly versatile choice, says Anne

- Anne

Petunia is an unusual girl’s name, and in the language of flowers can deliver a mixed message. Present a pot of red or purple petunias to someone with whom you have argued, and they convey anger and resentment. Yet in calmer tones, they say ‘being with you is soothing’, so they are the ideal gift for the comforting friend.

These are South American members of the potato family, related to tomatoes, physalis and the tobacco genus Nicotiana. Tribal names for tobacco gave rise to the French ‘petun’, eventually used for petunia. The impressive range of flower colours and shapes now available began with hybrids created between P. integrifolia and fragrant P. axillaris. Many petunias still carry a sweet perfume, intensifying when many are grown together.