PETUNIAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 138, 8 December 1938, Page 30

PETUNIAS

Whether the larger, frilled type or the small single-flowered petunias are grown, either of them will make a brave show even in the hottest weather, while their delicate fragrance in the evenings will also be appreciated.

Given a sunny spot and moderately good soil, petunias will flower until further orders. Whether massed m beds, planted in groups, or as edging, these half-hardy plants are equally useful. The small-flowered varieties are more suitable for edging, being compact in habit. Rosy Morn, Rose of Heaven, and Balcony Blue are all good kinds for this purpose. The largeflowered kinds give best results when the rather straggling growths are pegged down into the soil. They root in and produce new growths and more abundant blooms.

Petunia seedlings may safely be planted now. Puddle the plants in if the weather is dry at planting time, but do not try to force the young plants with manure, as although they appreciate good soil an excess of manure has a tendency to develop foliage at the expense of flowers. A mixture of loam, sand, and leaf mould will be found suitable, whether they are grown in the open or in pots. A heavy soil should be lightened with a good admixture of sand and leafmould or virgin loam to make it more friable and easily worked.

The small-flowered kinds may be planted nine inches apart, but the frilled varieties require up to fifteen inches to allow full development. Plant in full sun and supply moisture when necessary, and these plants will give a good account of themselves.'