Walking into a garden centre in late spring can be a glorious, if slightly overwhelming, experience. The air is thick with the scent of compost and new life, and everywhere you look, there are trays of vibrant flowers. Amongst the most popular are the petunias, offering a rainbow of colours.
But with so many options, how do you choose? It’s easy to get a bit lost. That’s why we’ve put together this simple guide to the main types of petunia, helping you pick the perfect plant for your garden space.
1. Grandiflora Petunias
If you want big, bold, and beautiful, the Grandiflora is for you. These are the classic petunias you might picture in your mind, with large, impressive flowers that can reach up to five inches across.
They are absolute stunners in pots, containers, and window boxes where their magnificent blooms can be appreciated up close. A word of caution, however.
2. Multiflora Petunias
What the Multiflora petunias lack in size, they more than make up for in quantity and resilience. They produce a profusion of smaller flowers, creating a brilliant mass of colour. These are the tough workhorses of the petunia family.
They bounce back quickly after a summer shower and keep on blooming right through the season. This makes them a fantastic choice for garden beds and borders where you want a reliable and continuous display. They are wonderfully low-maintenance and always put on a good show.
3. Milliflora Petunias
As the name suggests, ‘Milli’ petunias are the smallest of the lot. They are incredibly compact and produce masses of tiny, delicate flowers. Don’t let their small size fool you; they pack a real punch when it comes to colour.
One of their best features is that they are often self-cleaning, meaning you don’t have to spend as much time deadheading them. They are absolutely perfect for edging a pathway, tucking into the front of a container, or creating a charming display in smaller pots.
4. Spreading or 'Wave' Petunias
If you’re looking to cover some ground or create a breathtaking hanging basket, look no further than spreading petunias. Often known by the popular brand name ‘Wave’, these varieties are incredibly vigorous.
They grow outwards and downwards, creating a stunning cascade of colour that can spread several feet. They are ideal for hanging baskets, spilling over retaining walls, or as a flowering ground cover in a sunny spot. Just give them plenty of food and water, and watch them go.
5. Double Petunias
Double Petunias are distinguished by their lush flowers, which feature multiple layers of petals instead of the standard single layer.
This gives them a full, ruffled appearance that is often compared to miniature carnations or roses, adding a rich texture and romantic feel to plantings. This double-flowered form can be found in both Grandiflora (large blooms) and Multiflora (smaller blooms) varieties.
6. Supertunia Series
Elaboration: Supertunia® is a specific, highly engineered brand of petunia from the company Proven Winners. They are a type of spreading petunia that has been bred for maximum performance with minimum effort. Their key features include exceptional vigour, superior heat and humidity tolerance, and profuse blooming.
Most significantly, Supertunias are self-cleaning and bred to be sterile. This means they don't produce seeds and therefore pour all their energy into creating a non-stop cascade of flowers all season long without any need for deadheading
7. Surfinia® Petunias
Elaboration: Surfinia® is another world-famous brand that was instrumental in popularising the trailing petunia. Originating in Japan, they were bred specifically for their incredible cascading growth habit, with stems that can hang down a metre (3 feet) or more.
They are celebrated for their weather tolerance and their ability to produce flowers all along the length of their trailing stems, not just at the tips. This ensures a full, colour-saturated look from the top of the basket to the very bottom of the trailers, making them a perennial favourite for creating spectacular, long-lasting hanging basket displays.
8. Picotee Petunias
'Picotee' refers to a specific and very elegant colour pattern rather than a separate class of petunia. A picotee flower has a clearly defined margin around the edge of the petals that is a different, often contrasting, colour from the centre.
For example, a deep purple petunia might have a crisp, thin white line around the very edge of each petal. This genetic trait gives the blooms a sharp, tailored look and adds an extra dimension of visual interest. The picotee pattern can be found on Grandiflora, Multiflora, and Double petunia types.
9. Calibrachoa (also known as 'Million Bells' or Mini-Petunias)
Though they look nearly identical to small petunias and are used in the same way, Calibrachoa are technically a different, though closely related, plant genus. They are commonly called 'Million Bells' because they produce an incredible profusion of small, trumpet-shaped flowers that completely blanket the foliage.
Unlike petunia leaves, which can be sticky, Calibrachoa leaves are not. They are exceptionally well-suited for containers and hanging baskets, often outperforming petunias in very hot and humid conditions. continuously.
Conclusion About The Types Of Petunia
Choosing the right plant is all about knowing what you want it to do. Whether you need a dramatic centrepiece, a tough bedding plant, a delicate edging flower, or a spectacular trailer, you can be sure there is a petunia that’s just right for the job.
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Types Of Petunia
What Are The Easiest Petunias For Beginners To Grow?
Multiflora petunias are generally considered the easiest for beginners. They are more tolerant of weather than Grandifloras and are very resilient. Spreading or Wave petunias are also quite straightforward as long as they are given enough water and fertiliser to support their vigorous growth.
How Often Should I Water My Petunias?
Petunias, especially those in pots and hanging baskets, need regular watering. The soil should be kept consistently moist but not waterlogged. In the height of summer, you may need to water them every day. Always check the top inch of soil; if it feels dry, it’s time to water.
Do Petunias Need To Be Deadheaded?
Deadheading, which is pinching or cutting off the spent flowers, encourages the plant to produce more blooms instead of putting energy into making seeds. While Milliflora and some spreading varieties are 'self-cleaning', deadheading Grandiflora and Multiflora types will keep them looking tidy and blooming profusely all season long.
Why Are My Petunia Leaves Turning Yellow?
Yellowing leaves on a petunia can be a sign of a few things. The most common causes are overwatering, which suffocates the roots, or a lack of nutrients, particularly iron. Try letting the soil dry out a bit more between waterings and feed your petunias with a balanced liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks.
What Is The Difference Between A Wave Petunia And A Supertunia?
Both are popular brands of spreading petunias known for their trailing habits and prolific blooming. Wave petunias were the original game-changer in this category. Supertunias are a newer series that are bred to be even more vigorous, heat-tolerant, and often do not require deadheading to continue blooming.
