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Without a doubt the petunia are one of the most popular of all annual flowers grown in Utah. These lovely flowers show up in so many places that some would suspect that they are way over-planted. Patricia Thorpe in her book "America's Cottage Gardens" indicates their use results from religious teachings and came from commands from early religious authorities. The planting of gardens in this area she attributes to Brigham Young.
This author makes the statement "because of the connection made in the minds of many Mormons of cultivation and salvation, the gardens here come to represent a state of grace. . . . One reason bedding plants are so popular is that they respond to careful management by behaving in a completely predictable fashion; when they are finished, everything can be cleared out and a clean slate prepared for next season. Perennials are a little too haphazard to satisfy the majority, and they don't provide the ceaseless production so gratifying to the lover of petunias."
Although Brigham Young had many pressing issues on his mind as he directed the colonization of the state, I don't think planting petunias was at the top of his list. Governmental disputes, religious interferences, Indian wars and a rather large family all took precedence over the petunias. In truth there is no evidence that he was even familiar with these plants.
These flowers are rather late in coming on the scene. They did not appear until the 19th century and were a far cry from those we see now. A couple of species were discovered in South America and grown as curiosities in some gardens. Petunia axillaris had white flowers and petunia violaceae had purple flowers. The plants were long and lanky, and the flowers were small and single yet they provided the genetic potential for the myriad sizes, shapes, colors and forms that we enjoy today.
Plant breeders started to improve these flowers soon after they were discovered. Early crosses produced larger flowers and some double flowers. These were called x hybrida but were not hybrids as we use the term today. Chance crossing often showed many kinds of flowers in a single planting.
Fully double petunias were not available until 1934. Companies from Germany, England and Japan and the United States were racing to develop even more varieties. The W. Atlas Burpee Co. discovered the secret of creating the first true hybrid double petunias. Breeding work was interrupted by World War II but continued after the war with dozens of new and exciting innovations including many new classifications
Those who think a petunia is a petunia will find the classification systems interesting.
Multiflora petunias have single or double flowers and come in a rainbow of color and often have contrasting centers or stripes. Flowers range in size from 1.5 to 3 inches and produce abundant blossoms in spite of adverse conditions.
Grandiflora petunias have been the most popular of all the single flowered types for many years. These have large blossoms that are 3 to 4 inches in diameter and come as singles or doubles. The flowers can be striped or solid or picotee with an edge in a contrasting color. These are large sprawling plants and are excellent for mass planting or for containers. These plants stretch and get long stems when the weather turns hot so pinching or renewing are often needed to keep them attractive. Newer cultivars are more compact and show fewer problems from heat and other environmental stresses.
Spreading petunias grow 4 to 6 inches high and may get several feet in diameter. They work well in hanging baskets or as trailing ground covers. The flowers are produced along the entire length of the stem and are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. "Wave" petunias come from seed and are available in purple and pink. Other trailing petunias are produced from cuttings.
Floribundas are basically improved multiflora petunias. They have larger flowers and blossom earlier. Their major improvement is that they are more tolerant of rain and irrigation and of heat.
Milliflora petunias are hybrids that are about two-thirds the size of normal plants. This classification was introduced in 1996 to describe this breakthrough in plant development. They have small flowers that grow 1 to 1.5 inches across and bloom very early. Because they do not stretch, they work very well in hanging baskets and containers.
Petunias are members of the nightshade family. They are closely related to tomatoes, potatoes and peppers and Salpiglossis and Nicotiana. Because the plants are in the nightshade family, they are not edible and should not be used to decorate or garnish food.
