Fuchsia ‘Riccartonii’ still looks fabulous more than 150 years after it was introduced Copyright: Alamy Stock Photo
Fuchsia plants lend exceptional flower power to modern border schemes and container displays. But did you know that they were first introduced to the UK in the 18th century? Brush up your knowledge of the genus Fuchsia with plant breeder Charles Valin as he journeys from Victorian London to the cultivars we know and love today.
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
There’s a real sense of satisfaction in growing your own show-stopping display of petunias from seed. And the good news is that sowing petunia seeds isn’t difficult at all. Follow the advice from T&M’s petunia expert, Kris Collins, and produce a bumper supply of strong and healthy seedlings. Here’s our quick and easy guide to germinating petunia seeds.
Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.
Petunia ‘Pegasus Wine Splash’ petals are attractively flecked with burgundy Image: Petunia ‘Pegasus Wine Splash’ from Thompson & Morgan
Petunias are hugely popular bedding plants that you can order as plugs or garden-ready plants. Alternatively, you can sow your own petunia seeds as a cost-effective way to replenish hanging baskets and fill your garden with colour.
Here, T&M’s resident expert, Kris Collins, shares a few simple tips to increase the flower power and longevity of your petunias.
Petunias are something I turn to every spring in order to get my garden ready for summer. I couldn’t be without them in my hanging baskets. Trailing types, covered in masses of fragrant trumpet blooms, such as Petunia ‘Easy Wave Ultimate Mixed’, are perfect for lending that luxurious feel to your summer garden.
Most commonly used in container displays, there are actually many varieties that work well in border plantings too. Prolific growth smothers weeds and traps moisture in the soil, whilst also providing a carpet of colour.
Petunias require very little specialist upkeep. As long as you’re prepared to water regularly and remove spent flowers as they go over, you’ll be in for a season of scent and colour right through to autumn.
Which petunia should I choose for my space?
Petunia ‘Back to Black’ produces gorgeous velvety black flowers Image: Petunia ‘Back to Black’ from Thompson & Morgan
When it comes to choosing your petunias, firstly consider where you want to grow them. Grandiflora types, like Petunia grandiflora ‘Cascade Pink Orchid Mist’ F1 Hybrid, are best saved for basket and container displays – the large blooms are better shown off at height, and will be less prone to weather damage and mud splash.
For a show-stopping petunia bedding display, multiflora types including Petunia ‘Frenzy Mixed’ are the best option. They have smaller flowers and more of them, creating a carpet of colour that will shrug off a summer shower.
Watering is very important for healthy petunias. In the height of summer you may need to water containers and baskets twice a day, but at least every other day in an average British summer.
For those that work long hours and have less time for watering, it’s a good idea to move petunia hanging baskets and small containers to a shady spot during heatwave conditions, keeping them out of the afternoon sun until you can get home to give them a drink.
Alternatively invest in an auto watering system to reduce your workload and keep your baskets evenly moist.
Remove spent flowers as often as possible. Don’t just clear away the spent petals, but make sure to remove the entire flower head otherwise seed pods will form, the plant will think it has achieved its objective, and flowering will start to reduce.
Feed your petunias using a specialist petunia fertiliser for the best results. Add the fertiliser to the compost mix before planting containers and baskets and it will feed your plants for the whole season.
We’ve seen some excellent results with petunias in our technical trials for Incredibloom. Our one-off granular feed, applied at planting time to soils or composts, encourages up to 400% more blooms and provides everything your plants need for up to 7 months – covering the whole growing season.
Pinch out the growing tips of your plants during the early stages of growth, and do this two or three times before planting out to encourage side shooting. This will lead to much more compact plants with many more flowers.
By mid-August, some petunia varieties may start to look a little tired and straggly. To encourage a second strong flush of blooms to last well into autumn, cut the whole display back by a third and offer a general purpose liquid feed. Within a week or so the plants will start to bush out again and fresh new flowers will soon follow. Within 2 weeks, just in time for your August Bank Holiday garden parties, the display will again be in full bloom with no sign that it has been pruned.
If you’re growing your petunias from seed, aim to sow plants 10-12 weeks ahead of safe planting. So if you’re generally safe to start planting out bedding plants in your area from the 1st week of June, aim to sow your seeds in the first week of March. I’ll be looking at sowing petunias in more detail before then, so stay tuned!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found our top tips helpful! If you think we’ve missed anything let us know! For even more info, visit our petunias hub pagefor lots more resources to help you grow and care for petunias. Get your garden ready for summer – check out our summer flowers hub page for advice, inspiration and top tips!
Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.
There’s always a plant that, like Marmite, you love or loathe, and through the ages the petunia has often divided opinion. In fact, during the 1500s people believed that petunias were a symbol of demonic power because they harboured anger and resentment!
Part of the nightshade Solanaceae family, the petunia is closely related to plants like tobacco, cape gooseberry, tomato, potato and chilli pepper. Here’s a potted history of this fascinating flower, explaining how petunia seeds have been developed over several hundreds of years to become one of the most popular choices of all time.
My name is Amanda and I live in Pembrokeshire with my fiancé and our garden is approximately 116 meters square. I want to share with you my love for gardening and the reasons behind it, from the good to the bad and ugly. I want to do this for my own personal pleasure. If you would like to take the journey with me then please read my blogs and share with me your gardening stories.
While many people are not aware of it, the fact is that indoor plants act as nature’s very own air purifiers. Many scientists have now suggested that it is very important to use air-purifying plants in both your home as well as your office to help detoxify the atmosphere in the space where you live and breathe.
According to a study conducted by NASA, there are quite a few air-purifying plants and their associated microorganisms have the potential to detoxify your home from air pollutants, various toxins, and bacteria.
It has now been confirmed that the more plants you have in your home, the easier it is for them to work collectively and make a substantial difference in the overall quality of the air inside. They are also known for their calming effect, reducing stress and improving your wellbeing. Best of all, indoor houseplants are now part and parcel of many interior design books. In fact these plants are now rapidly becoming a trend that is here to stay!
Let’s take a look at which plants make great investments in terms of increasing the air quality in your home.
Baberton Daisy (Gerbera)
Gerberas are some of the prettiest plants out there and not only does it help to inject a cheerful burst of bright orange, red, pink, or yellow, into your home, it is also a highly effective cleanser. It rids the air of many common toxins that are typically found in household equipment. This includes trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, as well as benzene which are found in a vast range of different household materials, such as paints and many common synthetic fibres.
You should place the plant in a room where there is plenty of natural light while trying to keep the soil reliably moist, but with adequate drainage.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
The snake plant also goes by the rather tongue-in-cheek name “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue.” Once you place this plant in your bedroom, you can rest assured that you will be in for a really good night’s sleep. It belongs to the succulent plants’ group and this particular yellow-tipped succulent has the capacity to release plenty of oxygen at night.
Furthermore, the Snake Plant is also one of the best plants when it comes to filtering the air in your home of the toxic chemicals formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethylene. While it thrives as a potted plant, you should be careful not to overwater this plant as its roots are prone to rot in excessively moist soil.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
Peace Lilies are popular for their glossy leaves and elegant white flowers, but they are also rated one of the best for improving air quality. These plants neutralise toxic gases like benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide making your home a safer and cleaner place. They will even improve the humidity of a room, boosting it by up to 5%.
With their calming good looks and air purifying abilities, they make a great choice for enhancing the tranquillity of your bedroom to ensure a better night’s sleep. Give your Peace Lily a bright spot away from hot direct sun and it will thrive with minimal upkeep.
Placement of Air Purifying House Plants
All these plants must be placed carefully if you are going to utilize them properly, while simultaneously making sure that your home looks as nice as possible. If the plant is unable to flourish then it won’t be able to do its job, so it’s important to ensure that you provide the best growing conditions for your plants.
Consider their light requirements as some prefer hot sun, while other enjoy a shaded spot. If their leaves become scorched then they will be less effective at purifying the air. You’ll also need to learn how much water each plant requires, and remember to feed them regularly too!
You may even need an unassembled cabinet to store all the equipment one needs to grow plants indoors. It will save you the hassle of going outside to the shed to fetch tools for your houseplants each time they need some attention.
Houseplants are an awesome way of purifying the air in your home in a perfectly safe and 100 percent natural manner. There are plenty of plants that can detoxify your home, and purify the air you breathe in your living space so it’s well worth investing in a few.
Since I was a kid, I always found myself in the kitchen whenever there was something cooking. Even though none from the family was occupied with cooking as a profession, my mother was very fond of cooking and baking. She actually was the one that sparked my motivation and love for the kitchen. I grew up believing that the dinner table is that safe bubble for the family after long and dynamic days, my mother’s meals always brought us together. Seeing that, my parents got me into cooking classes which made me fall even more in love with it. I continued to chase this dream of mine through the years. I’ve been working with a local restaurant for 4 years now, as I am also about to finish my culinary studies. There’s nothing that makes me more happy than seeing people who put in practice and enjoy my advice. Such, I also take joy in sharing my tips with audiences via guest posting from time to time.
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