What can I do to prevent. I love petunias but this time of year, in the hot summers we have, they start to look like crud. I know that picking off the old blossoms make them bushier, but even that does not seem to help after a while. I hate to pull them up but they look bad. Any suggestions?
Petunias Stretching
- Thread starter Lammie
- Start date
Horticattleman
Well-known member
Petunias are primarily a cool season annual. Perrinials in some areas. They really struggle in intense heat at this time of year. If you cut them back they will slow down a little and re-group come fall. Legginess at this time of year for petunias where you live and anywhere in the deep south, is just how they cope.
Horticattleman":373bjv0e said:
Yeah, they normally do pretty well around here until July then they start to look bad. I do have some come back volunteer every year. Mine keep in pots pretty well on the porch but not in the beds.
Green Creek
Well-known member
If you can't stand to clip them back entirely, selectively cut about half of them back and then fertilize them. When those grow out, clip back the other half.
ga. prime
Well-known member
Lammie, do your Petunias look sort of like this?
You mean like the zenias? Well, petunias lay down when they stretch. They get all dead at the bottom and stretch way out. I pulled up some of them that were too far gone and I trimmed some back a bunch. I got spoiled last year because it was so moist and we had lovely flowers all summer right up till Thanksgiving. In fact, I remember watering flowers in a coat thinking how strange that was.
It happens every summer. They look so good in May and June and just go to crap in middle July. That's a Texas summer.
It happens every summer. They look so good in May and June and just go to crap in middle July. That's a Texas summer.
ga. prime
Well-known member
:lol2: I'm just messing with ya Lammie. You're talking Petunias, I'm showing Zinnias. Forgive my peculiar sense of humor.
I have many of the same things in my beds as in your pic. Is that at your house? I have tried to plant things that come back every year and things that do well in the hot dry environs we have here. I have a lot of Canas and they look bad this year as well. I guess they aren't suited to this climate very well, but they are an old landscape favorite here, fallen out of favor of late. I have Mexican Heather, Sages, Wandeing Juda, which will grow anywhere and transplant like mad. I have some Pampas grass, Moon Flower, Marigolds, Begonias, Impations, (I have a lot of shady beds), Hastas, Foxglove, Lantana, (which was a weed when I was a kid and grew everywhere on the ranch..), Morning Glory, Four O'Clocks, gourds, just about everything. I also have a high water bill to match.
ga. prime
Well-known member
I share your love of flowers. :D Yes, that is my house. My 11yr old son wanted to plant that bed in the pic this year and of course I agreed. I was gone for a few days and came back with Zinnia seeds which I intended to let him plant there. But, while I was gone he and my wife bought a variety of bedding plants and put in there. They did a pretty good job. That was back in April. That Blue Salvia they put in is holding up the best in this heat. Anyway, I had him put a few Zinnia seeds in too and they've been bloomng two or three weeks.
Australian Cattleman
Well-known member
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- City & State/Province
- Tenterfield,New England Region NSW,Australia
My petunias I get the shears and give them a good hair cut. They only do well in our cool climate during summer. Though these days there is varieties that do OK in the cool weather.Pansies last all year round here,I give them a little haircut too.My Tulips are about to start flowering. The daffodils are in full swing. The roses are all shooting and have been pruned. Springs here I hope.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Lammie":13c2r7kk said:
Some ideas, tips, etc:
- 1. Basically ANY plant (bedding, seeded, etc.) where the instructions say "Full Sun" does NOT necessarily apply to TEXAS! Texas has some brutal sun.
2. When a plant "stretches" (length increases between internodes) is is often (but not always) the result of lack of sun (esp. with houseplants).
3. In most of Texas, "cool season and/or Spring plants" have usually finished their useful life by May or so.
4. "Summer" plants in Texas usually include Marigolds, Sedum, Bachelor Button, Alyssium, the Sages, Zinnias, and related.
5. With the long Texas growing season, "cool" season plants can usually be repeated in September for color until first real freeze (often in November).
6. While the "planting instructions" for Geraniums usually say "full sun" that is a No-No in most of texas. They seem to do best in full AM sun and partial sun the rest of the day, especially in mid to late afternoon.
Also remember that the majority of "Spring Bedding Plants" were NOT produced in Texas. The major suppliers of these plants come from the large commercial operations in Florida, Oregon, and other places that have "ideal" conditions to rapidly produce these starter plants. There are exceptions of course (however, cooling and other greenhouse conditions are needed to offset the erratic Texas climate swings during propagation seasons).
