Petunia, << puh TOO nee uh or puh TOO nyuh, >> is the name of a group of plants known for their beautiful, funnel-shaped flowers. Petunias rank as one of the most popular garden flowers in the United States and many other countries.
A petunia’s flowers grow 4 inches (10 centimeters) or more across. They may be pink, rose, salmon, red, white, blue, or a mixture of colors. Some varieties have a single set of petals. Others have a double set.
There are about 30 species (kinds) of petunias. Tiny hairs cover the stems and leaves of most cultivated petunias, but some wild species have almost no hairs. Most petunias are perennials–that is, they live at least three years. However, gardeners usually raise the plants as annuals (flowers that live one year or less) because they flower during their first year. People may grow petunias from cuttings or from seeds.
Gardeners normally grow petunias in prepared ground beds or in window boxes. Some plant the flowers in hanging baskets. The plants thrive in sunny locations. Their flowers bloom in summer and early fall.
Petunias originated in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Europeans first brought them from South America to Europe in the 1820’s. Gardeners in Europe developed the first cultivated petunias later in the 1800’s.
