Mel’s Green Garden plays favorites. My absolute favorite annual of the summer is the Old Fashioned Vining Petunia. The flowers are very fragrant and smell great – particularly at night.
It was an accidental discovery I fell madly in love with about seven years ago when Seed Savers had a store on Monroe Street (oh how I miss that store!). I picked up a flat of mixed random plants on sale and one happened to be this old fashioned vining petunia. It is unique in that with help, it will grow very tall and bushy. Seed Savers advertises 2-3 feet of growth, but it has climbed as tall as my white picket fence.
I also love to put it in pots with obliesks. Last year I planted it in various sizes of pots with simple garden stakes tied together with a rubber band. They were fabulous. I planted just one plant per pot and then added a few seeds. This way you have color right away and when the original flower has gone to seed and is done blooming the seedlings will be up and blooming.
For my Madison friends…. you can also buy flats of the plants from Almost There Farms at the Farmer’s Market at Hilldale. Although I recommend calling ahead since Phil doesn’t always have them with him. But if you ask, he will bring them! You can also find flats of the plant at Bruce Company.
Growing Tips
- Give them a little help as they grow by staking the tallest stem and tying it to a stake or fence with a little velcro strip or twist tie.
- They will bloom for a longer period of time if you dead head them. My daughters love to pull off the flowers.
- This is also a terrific annual for collecting the seeds, my girls love collecting the seed pods with a pair of scissors.
