Our Colorful Winter Standard
Our Colorful Winter Standard.
So as the title reflects, the petunia is the standard winter flower here in the Metro Phoenix.
I plant a bunch of petunias each fall beginning approximately late October through end of November timeframe? It all depends on the heat, when I am sure the temps are ready to stay down into the 80’s. In my experience it takes little to NO soil amendment for these flowers to thrive.
I buy flats of flowers then break the bottom dirt off at least an inch from every plant; giving their string-like roots some room to stretch out. Then I pop them in the ground. We water our new plants 5 minutes twice daily through the first of December; then cut back the sprinkling to once daily for 5 minutes. This is usually good for the remainder of the winter. By March first, I consider the heat and may adjust to 6 minutes. By mid April it’s usually time to go back again to twice daily for 5 minutes. I prefer to water petunias from the ground up rather than spray them so as to avoid bruising their delicate blooms. Spraying from the top works OK as long as it’s a soft, misty type spray.
If we get a heavy rainstorm, which does happen around Christmas, then I cut the watering off for 2 days as long as it’s sunny the next 2 days to follow. If it’s cold cloudy and gray I would probably leave the sprinkler off for 3 days. While petunias like wet, they don’t like Soggy. We cover them if the temps get down to 35 or less, which commonly happens 3-4 nights in January. We use burlap or old sheets as coverings. We promptly take the cover off by 8 am so they can get the daily sun.
The trick to keeping the petunia billowy and bright is to pinch the spent flowers off weekly. If it’s shriveled then pinch it from the base of the bloom/flower. Don’t simply pull the spent flower off, but pinch at the base of the flower, then drop it right back down into the ground. They can deteriorate back into the soil. The flower will sprout 2 new shoots where is was pinched at the node. Also, to give these guys a little winter boost, I apply a simple over -the -counter time-release fertilizer pellets. I typically use about 1 teaspoon to a gallon of water, letting the water sit for a while so all the pellets dissolve. Tender blooms, will burn if a soggy pellet sits on the flower. I let the water get to room temperature also before I place on the surrounding soil, as I don’t want to shock the blooms with something too hot or cold.
As long as you continue to pinch the tops and never step on them, (OUCH says the petunia!) then the petunias will bloom from late fall until mid-April or until the temps reach 95 degrees. I love these petunias. Some years I mix it up with a combination of colors and other years I have gone with a color scheme using all the same color. They are good in the ground or in pots as long as they are watered regularly. They have a very pleasant ‘happy scent’, not overpowering or too ‘perfumey’. Petunias are just a Cheerful plant; anywhere! There are a few varieties in the valley; the regular and the very large petals, Grandiflora, Multiflora, Milliflora and Spreading (waves). They are pretty much the same in characteristics with exception of color and they require same sort of care. Since we do have wind in the winter irregularly, I do like to get the multi flora when I find them as they have a lot of endurance in wind and rain. I enjoy most petunias with exception of the vines that hang from the baskets. They have smaller blooms and leaves, and I am not very fond of them personally as they don’t always get full, the scent is less and they dry out easier.
I prefer to get my petunias at Home Depot of all places, as they haven’t let me down yet in all my years here and I find they are less expensive and more readily available than nurseries.
Petunias make a great accent plant! Great for surrounding the base of a palm tree or in a pot with a large upright plant in the middle.
You know they are ready to be pulled at the end of the season with they get leggy and don’t stand up anymore and the leaves more sparse, soft and droopy.
The great thing about Petunias is that they can be planted at anytime from November-Mid March, always adding that pop of color to your yard. So if you want to wait until after the holidays to do some planting, or if something you already planted doesn’t make it through our ‘winter’ then you have always have back up plan. Petunias and Snap Dragons are fun quick additions right in the middle of January.
Below are some of my many petunias. The one photo on the left gives an example of how tall and full 16 petunia plants can become. The example on the right displays the intense color and cheerfulness a petunia mixture brings to a yard (and your spirit 😉).
