So, annuals are often overlooked by me. But I have a new area in my garden, and while shopping for plants, I came across some petunias. Petunias are not that exciting. However, they are very reliable, so I picked up some pink ones for a container planting.
Then I saw these:
'Black Velvet' petunias. Now, this is exciting! I've placed these petunias in the garden bed, next to the rose 'Lion's Fairy Tale'.
Isn't that gorgeous? It's really hard to get a picture of the two together, the contrast is so wide.
And since I got a black petunia, of course, I had to pick up 'White Madness', too.
And paired it with 'Cupcake' miniature rose. What a delightful pair!
These petunias are doing exactly what annuals are supposed to do. Filling in a new garden, and extending the blooms while my perennials are resting. They are prolific bloomers in this heat wave we are having. I could not be more pleased.
I will be sorry to say goodbye to them this winter. Perhaps those magazines were right all along.
Do you have petunias in your garden?
I do have petunias, but I love your black ones! :) I have an old wheelbarrow full of bright pink ones and I bought a special hanging basket of red, white and blue(purple)! Your garden is always so pretty - I enjoy your posts!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Ava
I saw those black petunias at the nurseries this year and I love them. They look just like velvet. No petunias this year but hopefully more garden areas will be ready for them next year. Hey, maybe try to save to save some seeds and see if they come back again?
ReplyDeleteI'll bet these petunias would be gorgeous in a container with Margarita sweet potato vine! Too bad I always forget to water containers. :(
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I grow petunias! I tried just two of the black ones this summer and so far I can say I like them very much. My favorite though has to be Bubblegum Supertunia, I have never seen a petunia fill out as beautifully from start to finish either in pots or in the ground. I started 50 petunias this year from seed, Avalanche, Wave, and Tidal Waves and they are performing beautifully. I am an annual nut; planted 2000 this year from seed. People often ask me why, but I have color from July to frost and that's saying something in Wisconsin. We have such a short growing season and are always color-challenged with half of the year being white.
ReplyDeleteI love your combinations of petunias and roses, they just grow so well together!
No petunias here Holley but I love the black one, quite an intense dark colour!
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be some sort of hesitation within the horticulture industry about recommending perennials as a temporary, summer planting, effectively treated as an annual. It's viewed as a waste even if the cost of some annuals are the same as some perennials. Perennials are great, reliable presence every year and often little maintenance and chosen correctly give as much summer colour as traditional annuals :)
Oh I'm adding these black ones to next years wish list, they are stunning! But have to be honest I've never grown petunias before, more a perennials girl, although my annuals wish list is growing ;)
ReplyDeleteAbi - The black ones are quite unique, and I like them under the white rose, but really, the white ones show up so much better. I'm glad I got both so I could compare. Your red, white, and blue basket sounds great!
ReplyDeleteTufa Girl - They do look like velvet. I have to touch them when I see them. I could see these paired with lambs ear, kind of as a petting garden! I wonder if the seeds would be viable. Might be worth a try.
Connie - That would make a beautiful container! I'm not very good with watering containers, either, although I love the look. I"m trying very hard this year to keep my container plantings alive (only 1 dead so far!).
Karen - Wow! I am impressed! No wonder your garden is so beautiful. I'll have to check into the Supertunia.
Mark and Gaz - I've always felt a little guilty planting annuals, knowing they would only live for a year. Of course, most vegetables are like that, too. And yes, the cost of annuals has risen so your practice of treating perennials as annuals is a good idea.
Julia - I, too, always think there's some perennial I could put there instead. Although I've enjoyed these annuals, and since the roses are small since the bed is new, it's given it an established look it wouldn't have otherwise. These black petunias placed against a background of white (like a white house) would look good. They don't show up well from afar, but up close they are luxurious.
ReplyDeleteWow 'Black Velvet' is indeed a gorgeous petunia! I like your combination with the white rose. In general I feel the same like you do about annuls, that they are too expensive and too much work to plant for the short lived pleasure that they are undeniable giving to you. If I would have more money, time, and energy at hand though, I think my attitude would change in a second and I would love to plant them :-). I did plant some dark purple petunias last year and they looked very nice in between my perennials. This year I have planted none because I am still focusing in my garden on planting "the bones" like roses that get really tall and other shrubs.
ReplyDeleteChristina
Now I use a lot of annuals for fill ins in my garden and containers every year.Most are grown from seed to save the costs. I always have my petunias. I really like the new Black petunias. They look so velvety. I have the Pinstripe on with a pink stripe to it. The white one is beautiful. I like using spots of white to make the colors stand out more. Great additions to your garden.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your hesitations about annuals. When I buy a tree, I'm saving the planet. When I buy perennials, I'm making an investment that will pay off with years of growth and the ability to divide and get new plants. Petunias and other annuals feel like a splurge, plus it's more work to keep up with watering for their shallow roots. But if you find a few that enhance your garden, of course you should go for them!
ReplyDeleteThose look really good! At my local nurseries they are now selling new petunias that are supposed to be "not annuals". i.e. they will keep on going ... we will see. I will be planting more because I still have such a young garden and bare patches that need colour whilst the perenniels establish themselves.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness I love both of those petunias. They are beautiful and look wonderful with what you paired them with.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
That Black Velvet petunia is so unusual. I've never seen it before. The white ones are very pretty too. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeletecappucunio petunia with rust colored coloeus, red lantana, and terra cotta caliborchia.
ReplyDeleteChristina - I've always thought if I had hired help, I would have them plant tons of annuals in the garden. Alas, that is not to be!
ReplyDeleteLona- I've seen the pinstripe in pictures, and it is beautiful. I need to grow more from seed!
VW - It does seem like a lot of work, not to have it live another year. But I have to say, these beds would be very dull and uninteresting without this added jewelry.
GardeningBlog - If I could have a perennial petunia, I would snatch it up. I'm also one to not dig up the mums, even though most people use them as an annual. They come back and do well here.
FlowerLady - They have done very well this year, which is nice to see in this heat. The white ones bloom more, but the black ones are more unique. Both have been fun to have this year.
Olga - I think the black is fairly new to the market. At one time I thought about a black and white garden, so when I saw these I knew I had to give them a try!
Greggo - That combinations sounds fabulous! The Lantana would be perennial here. The others I've grown in containers, which I usually kill from lack of attention before they die from the cold!
Yep - I love them but this is a recent conversion. Some smell lovely too and hoverflies adore them. Purples, blues and whites are my theme this year but wish I'd seen black ones. Lovely
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the annuals - they are rarely worth the bother, and honestly, I have a lot of perennials that bloom at different times, and lots that bloom all season long... Those dark violet petunias are gorgeous though, they might have been my impulse purchase too...
ReplyDeleteLaura - Petunias do add a lot to the garden. I think I'll try to grow some from seed next year. That way I won't feel guilty for spending money on something that I know will not last.
ReplyDeleteMasha - I try to fill in mostly with perennials, too. I hate to love something that I have to replace every year. You're right - the black petunias got to me. I wouldn't have bought the white ones without getting the black ones first!
Once i had petunia but it died after a while.... YOur petunia looks so beautiful pairing with the roses! You must have a lot of roses!
ReplyDeleteblack velvet petunia This is totally new to me!
Malar - Yes, I am sad that mine will die this winter. I do have a lot of roses, though I don't post about them as much as I could!
ReplyDeleteDear Holley, I buy very few petunias each year, because the require so much deadheading -- I prefer calibrachoa which are less work. But I would not have been able to resist the gorgeous black petunia you purchased. And you placed it so effectively. P. x
ReplyDeleteI have petunias in pots. I am not too fond of the black petunia, yet have other black plants in the garden
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I have met a petunia I didn't like.
ReplyDeleteJennifer@threedogsinagarden
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a place for annuals in a perennial garden. They do shine in the late summer after most perennials have seen better days. I bought just one of these new black petunias and like it so much that I will probably get more next year.
Pam - You're a better gardener than I. I haven't deadheaded either of these plants, and they are both very full of blooms. I thought I had a calibrachoa one year, but it did not bloom for me all summer. Maybe It was something else. I'll have to look at the tags a little closer next time!
ReplyDeleteGWGT - I am still intrigued with having a black and white garden, but I don't want one that is full of annuals. I may have to try out a few more black plants. The petunia is beautiful up close, but from afar it doesn't show well.
Darla - :) They are reliable! That's why I usually buy one or two for my containers, although this year I went with vinca for my pots.
Jennifer - I have been surprised how much these annuals have made that bed shine. In fact, I could see an entire bed with nothing but petunias! The black petunia is hard to resist! It's in the middle bed, the white petunias are in beds flanking either side. They really do make those beds stand out.
ReplyDeleteI feel basically the same way you do about annuals, I can't stand for them to be dead next year after all that work! But, I have one pot of million bells, and then I grab a flat (for 10bucks) of angelonia to fill in the spaces during early spring. These I love and its worth the 10 bucks, because they totally change form throughout the year and yield to other plants in such a way that it creates a very very cottage look. Now black angelonias would definitely get me excited :)
ReplyDeleteJess - Joy is definitely worth $10! If annuals weren't so expensive, I might change my mind on them being so disposable. Perhaps I will give sowing seeds a try. And I may have to give some angelonias a try now, too!
ReplyDeleteI never was a fan of petunias until 2 new ones crossed my path - the Black Velvet and a double-flowered, blush pink one whose name I can't recall off the top of my head, but which I track down every year without fail. Last year I put the black one in a pot with coral diascia and a peach-colored phygelius. Wow! If I can locate the tag for the blush double petunia, I'll come back and give you the name. Outside of these two, my attitude on petunias is "meh".
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is interested, the name of the double pink petunia I like is 'Sweet Sunshine' - really lovely!
ReplyDeleteSusan - Your combination with the black petunia sounds wonderful. I'm glad you came back and gave us the name of your double pink. A double petunia sounds stunning. I will have to be on the lookout for it.
ReplyDeleteI use a lot of annuals in my garden too. I think they provide that pop of color in-between perennial blooms. If I buy something expensive (like a brugmansia) I try to winter it over so I get a couple years out of it.
ReplyDeleteKathleen - I am impressed how well these annuals have done, as it's so hot here, most of the perennials are dormant. Not all, but a lot. And these keep blooming on!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful pond you have! I love the clean lines and shape of the concrete. On my Delaware trip I just bought some water hyacinths for my dad. He has a 6 acre pond with tons of lotuses and water lilies. The sales person could not describe what the water hyacinthes look like. Like the regular hyacinths? Is that what you have in your pond?
ReplyDeleteWendy - Water hyacinths are short, round-leafed, with small blooms. They clean the water very efficiently. You need to overwinter them in a bucket of water where they won't freeze. They multiply quickly. Your dad can just compost the extra ones he doesn't want. They become invasive where a freeze does not kill them, so they are prohibited for sale or even to have in Texas. I have water lilies, lotus, and rush pickerel. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any petunias this year, but have gone for the unusual ones in the past. I've never seen one like yours (black one). I love all your color combinations in your other posts too. If you like daylilies - Barbara Mitchell is one that goes well with black flowers. I love white in the summer time - has a cooling affect on me.
ReplyDeleteCottage Dome - The black ones were intriguing! I will check out Barbara Mitchell. I am adding more white in my garden, I too, find it has such a nice cooling effect. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDelete