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.
Mel's Green Garden 
I planted some of these petunia seeds this afternoon. I’m hoping for great fragrance from them, and also hoping they aren’t the same seeds that Select Seeds is calling Balcony Petunias. Grew those last year and they were OK, but not the fragrant ones I was looking for.
Oh, forgot to say thanks for that tip about planting extra seeds when potting up plants. I hope I still remember it in a few weeks 😉
Thanks!! This tip I just stumbled on, but it is a theme I repeat with most plantings. Plant one of the plant, seeds around it. With bulbs it works great, like buy one casa blanca lily plant, expensive, and then several bulbs, cheaper. With bulbs and seeds it helps to have the plant in the garden and up to mark the spot.
I have several old fashioned petunias that have come up in the yard, outside of my flower beds. Its September and they are just coming up. Is it too late to replant. I live in north Alabama and don’t have to get the seeds they come up on their own every year.
I love when Old-Fashioned Vining Petunia volunteers pop up. I would say to answer your question, it depends on when your last killing frost day is. In northern Wisconsin, I wouldn’t do it now, but we could be just a few weeks away from a super cold frosty night. You probably have a much longer growing season in Alabama, so it might be worth your time. I do dig them up in the summer and move them around and they do great, just water, water, water. Good Luck and let me know how it goes!