Having a beautiful yard landscaping full of lovely and bright flowers is a dream for anyone who owns a house. In addition to providing happiness and comfort while living, the presence of a garden decorated with plants also provides many benefits at the same time for the owner, for example, it can improve air quality, provide a fragrant aroma, and reduce stress.
The number of types of flowers that can be planted depends on the wishes of the owner based on how to grow it, take care of it, and use it in the available space. If you are interested in having plants that have beautiful pastel colors, it’s slightly better to choose petunias as your decorated plant in your house.
Yes, these flowers consist of 20 species and are native to South America. In addition to their unique and diverse colors, these flowers also have a unique characteristic in which they can survive in hot climates and weather. Well, instead of being curious about everything about Petunia, let’s look at what Petunia is and its characteristics and treatment.
What are petunias?
Petunia flowers are one of the most popular perennials that are a member of the Solanaceae family (family of tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, and many other species). These blooms are renowned for star-shaped blossoms with various colors and fragrant aromas emitted when the sunset.
As an ornamental plant, this flower can be grown by planting it in a bedding garden or a pot. In addition, in their natural habitat, these blooms are generally found in the highlands and can adapt well to hot weather.
In countries with sub-tropics, such as Europe, petunia begins to bloom in the summer to autumn and wilts or dies during winter. Although these blossoms are classified as friendly plants and easy to plant, there are some features that you need to pay attention to when you want to grow them. Some of the characteristics that you need to pay attention to include:
Characteristics of petunias
Petunias are sun-loving perennials
Since petunias usually bloom in summer, they like sunlight. Even if you put them under the shade, they will grow poorly and tend to stagnate. Each day, they need 5 to 6 hours of sunlight, but Petunias will bloom more when they are exposed to sunlight all day.
They can grow well in lowlands also
We know that Petunias are tolerant of hot weather and climates. However, you also need to know that this flower is good for planting in temperatures ranging from 23-26 C. This is done to optimize seed germination. Meanwhile, if they are in weather conditions with temperatures above 32 C, the germination of these flowers will be disrupted.
Even so, you don’t have to worry about growing it in the lowlands. A study conducted in Korea in 2018 stated that “Madness Red” can grow in humid conditions and increase their adaptability to high temperatures.
At least, there are several things you need to pay attention to when caring for it, such as the planting container, the required water capacity, the intensity of sunlight, and fertilization.
They are naturally sticky
Another unique characteristic that you can find from Petunias is its sticky nature. Yes, the stickiness of this plant is the main characteristic, and there is no disease from the plant.
These blooms produce a sticky liquid from their stem tissue, which then spreads across their tender leaves. The sticky liquid is believed to trap pests that will eat the flowers, so they’ll stick to it and die slowly. In other words, this flower secretes a sticky liquid as a form of defense against pest attacks.
They are great as cut flowers
In addition to being tempted to grow it, Petunias are also suitable for use as cut flowers and various beautiful home decorations. The color variations produced by these types of Petunias are also interesting to choose from, such as Grandiflora, Multiflora, Milliflora, and Floribunda. You can also get them as dried flowers Singapore, which can be mixed and matched in accordance with your taste.
How to care for petunias
Even though it’s called a fuss-free and easy-to-grow plant, that doesn’t mean you can grow it anywhere you want. To make Petunias fertile, you need to consider several aspects when growing them.
First, choosing the right containers is very important to get this flower to grow optimally. You can select a porous planting medium, which does not retain a lot of water when watered.
Second, Petunias don’t like wet soil. Wet conditions can cause plant stems to rot and be susceptible to fungus. Thus, to prevent this, watering can be done when the flowers seem to be starting to wither. In addition, you must avoid the flower directly raining!
Third, you have to make sure the sunlight can enter well into this plant. This is significant, especially to make flowers bloom more quickly perfectly. However, be careful, since they usually live around 23-26 C, an alternative solution, if you live in a tropical climate, is to place them in an area with a UV roof or on a patio area or under a canopy as long as sunlight can still reach the plants.
That’s all, the review of the characteristics of petunia flowers as a plant that can adapt well in hot weather and climates. Hopefully, the information provided can be useful for those tempted to grow it in the yard or pot on the terrace in your home.