Petunias are a beloved choice for hanging baskets due to trailing habit. Gardeners seeking to frequent feeding for extremely vigorous growers color bloom and charm to their outdoor spaces with hanging baskets and containers. When planted in hanging baskets, these versatile flowers of petunia and spent flowers create stunning cascades of blooms that can transform any porch, balcony, or garden into a vibrant oasis.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about growing petunia hanging baskets, from selecting the best varieties and planting techniques to essential care tips for new growth and creative design ideas in the growing season.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, you’ll find valuable insights into choosing Petunias in hanging baskets. This guide will help you cultivate beautiful, prolific flowering, flourishing petunia displays that will captivate and delight all season long.
Best Petunias for Hanging Baskets
1. Wave Petunia Series
Wave petunias are the perfect choice for containers ,hanging basket and small space gardens, filling the space with loads of petite blooms.
Wave petunias require more fertilizer than is usually recommended for petunias. For best results, apply a balanced fertilizer with every second or third irrigation of 300 ppm for all genetics for more blooms in summer.
Wave petunias prefer direct sunlight . They will tolerate partial sun, but do not do well in the shade. Heat is not a problem as long as you water and fertilize them sufficiently. You can check the soil with your fingers and if it is dry there is a need for attention. Avoid locations where water tends to collect after rain or irrigation, as petunias don’t like soggy soils.
2. Calibrachoa (Million Bells, Superbells)
Calibrachoa plants have a trailing habit and will bloom all summer as long as their needs are met in a hanging basket. Keeping them happy is relatively simple: The critical elements are sun, fertilizer, soil, and water. The plant’s leaves with flowers perform best in a container or hanging basket with excellent drainage.
Use a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks or add a slow-release granular fertilizer to the soil at planting time, replenishing according to instructions. Grow them in hanging baskets or use as spillers and fillers in container gardens.
They also work well in the garden when grown in well-drained soil. Use them as an edger, annual groundcover for small areas or colorful additions to rock gardens. It is a good choice for attracting bees and hummingbirds to your yard.
3. Supertunia Vista Bubblegum
The plant will bloom prolifically with medium-sized, bright, bubblegum pink flowers. They are a sterile petunia that does not come from seed or produce seeds. The Supertunia is propagated with cuttings, which help preserve its quality and vigor.
Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum belongs to a spreading variety, trailing petunias, and is a full sun plant. Make sure she gets at least six hours of direct sun a day. Second, while not a lot of water is needed when it is planted in the landscape, regular watering will be necessary in containers.
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is self-cleaning of old flowers. Deadheading (removal of old flowers) is not needed to maintain continued bloom, but a light pruning after each bloom flush is recommended for healthy growth and more flowers.
4. Multiflora Petunia
Multiflora petunias are smaller plants with more numerous but smaller blooms, perfect for cascade, pots and hanging baskets. The stems are strong, which makes multiflora petunia varieties suitable for windy climates. The blooms tend to hold up a bit longer than Grandiflora petunia varieties, especially during rainy weather.
Multiflora and grandiflora petunias comes in spreading types , should be spaced about 12 inches apart when planted in full sunlight and a couple of inches less when planted in partial shade. They perform best in fertile, well-drained soil kept evenly moist. Petunia flower care includes: deadheadings of faded flowers for best display and to keep it full of color all season long and fertilizing regularly with a balanced liquid fertilizer.
Petunia hanging baskets tolerate lots of heat and are relatively undemanding when it comes to water, except for “spreading” types, which require frequent watering by a master gardener.
5. Supertunia Petunias
Supertunias belong to trailing varieties, need enough room to grow, and should be planted in a location that gets at least 6 hours of full sun. An adequate amount of sunlight will encourage more blooms.
Supertunias should be planted into a well drained soil mix selected to match individual water quality and fertilizers blend. Water in without saturating the mix and maintain a constant moderate soil moisture level for the first seven to 10 days for establishing new rooting.Supertunia petunias respond very well to a drip watering system like WaterWise®.
A balanced, water-soluble fertilizer is applied every two weeks, or a slow-release fertilizer is applied during planting by many gardeners. The plant is low maintenance and requires no deadheading. Supertunia Vista petunias are very vigorous, with a mounding habit that can reach up to 2 feet in height in the landscape.
6. Grandiflora Petunia
Petunias need at least 5 or 6 hours of good sunlight; they’ll perform even better when located in full sun all day. The more shade they receive, the fewer flowers they’ll produce. Impatiens are a better choice for blooming in shady places.
Petunias thrive lots of heat, and are relatively undemanding when it comes to water. Except for “spreading” type, which require frequent watering, thorough watering once a week should be sufficient in all but the worst weather.
Ideally plant petunias in the spring after the danger of frost has passed in hanging baskets, bloom for several months, and then die off with the onset of cold weather.
7. Supertunia Honey
Supertunias® are vegetatively propagated and do not set seed. Supertunias are heavy feeders. Petunias ‘Supertunia Honey’ needs at least five hours of sunlight per day. They will thrive best and grow the most flowers with exposure to full, all-day sunlight.
The plants will grow on the ground in partial shade but will have fewer flowers. Lack of sunlight may also lead to leggy plants and a lack of healthy flowering. Watering should be adjusted to twice a week to maintain optimal moisture levels.
It is terrific trailing petunias for containers or hanging baskets and pots where it can function as a filler or trail gracefully over the edges.
Conclusion
When selecting the best-trailing petunia hanging basket, consider varieties like Supertunia Vista, Wave, and Surfinia, which do not require frequent feeding and bloom the largest flowers in summer. These petunias are proven winners for their vigorous growth, continuous color, and abundant blooms that cascade beautifully over the edges of baskets.
They thrive in full sun, require regular watering, and benefit from periodic fertilization to maintain their lush foliage appearance. By choosing the right trailing petunias and providing proper care in hanging baskets, you can enjoy a stunning and long-lasting display of petunias plants that adds a burst of color and charm to any outdoor space in summer.
