Petunia Volunteers?

[ducks4you]

Welcome KD_Olive!
This is the Nicest Forum anywhere! People are sooooo supportive here, to lend a helping hand and share the grief of the inevitable plant loss. You have me interested in petunias, now!

 

[catjac1975]

I walked outside and pulled one..This is how it looks. There are hundreds of them! I will probably hoe them out however if the heat is going to kill them again. Last year, it was very frustrating to watch them wilt despite my best efforts... View attachment 11221

I would rethink getting rid of them. In your climate especially the heat is going to do in a lot of different plants. You need to plant consecutively in order to keep flowers in bloom. The best way to learn is to see what other people have growing in there gardens at any given time. Those seedlings will give you beautiful color for free for quite a bit of time. Petunias do not continue for anyone through a whole season. Just interplant some thing else when they start to decline. Also deadheading will keep them bloom longer.

 

[baymule]

Plant marigolds in with the petunias. The marigolds will do ok in the heat when the petunias poop out. Keep the marigolds deadheaded and they will come back strong in the fall and attract butterflies.

 

[Smart Red]

Bay, that is an excellent idea. The marigolds will get bushy and spread out once the petunias fall victim to the heat.

Another choice would be to lift the petunias and replant them in pots or a less sunny spot until the weather cools. They transplant rather well.

 

[Jared77]

What if you kept them potted and dunk the whole pot into the ground? When it gets too warm just pull up the whole thing and relocate it.

 

[Smart Red]

I think I like Jared77's idea even better. I "plant" a lot of pots in my gardens. Usually the pots are for plants I need to lift each fall for winter protection, but moving them in an out would be really easy that way.

 

[KD_Olive]

Thanks for all the suggestions, those are great ideas! We're about to go through a cold snap and the lows will be in the 15 degree range for a few days... Can they withstand that amount of cold?

 

[catjac1975]

Thanks for all the suggestions, those are great ideas! We're about to go through a cold snap and the lows will be in the 15 degree range for a few days... Can they withstand that amount of cold?

Probably not. Cover them with an old sheet when the ground is warm-may help.

 

[KD_Olive]

And the answer is.....WEEDS! ARRRGH! . Looks like i'll be getting out the garden hoe! The cold snap didn't hurt them one bit and they're growing like crazy!

 

[so lucky]

Yes, I think petunias have a single flower bud at the end.