Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Garden Petunia.
Petunia hybrida
Pronounced peh-TOO-nee-uh at-kin-see-AY-nuh
Also known as Petunia hybrida, Common garden petunia
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These cheerful annuals are a staple for adding vibrant color to your garden beds and containers. They bloom continuously from spring until the first frost if you keep them happy. You will love how they spill over edges with their trumpet shaped flowers.
At a glance
- Care level
- Easy
- Plant type
- Annual
- Light
- Full sun
- Indoor light
- Direct sun
- Water
- Every 2 to 4 days
- Mature size
- 12 to 18 inches
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Hardiness
- USDA 9 to 11
- Bloom time
- Late spring to first frost
Care
Keep your plants in a sunny spot and pinch back the stems to encourage a bushier shape. Watch for wilting which signals they need a drink, and remove faded blooms to keep new flowers coming. If the plant gets leggy, do not be afraid to give it a good trim.
- Watering
- Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
- Feeding
- Use a balanced liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season.
- Pruning
- Deadhead spent flowers regularly to promote continuous blooming.
- Repotting
- These are typically grown as annuals and do not require long term repotting.
- Soil
- Well draining potting mix
- Soil pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
- Temperature
- 10 to 30°C
- Humidity
- 40 to 60%
Safety
- People
- The plant is generally considered non toxic, but ingestion should be avoided.
- Pets
- Petunias are generally considered non toxic to cats and dogs.
- Children
- Keep away from small children as the sticky foliage can be messy and ingestion of plant material is not recommended.
- Contact allergens
- The sticky, glandular hairs on the stems and leaves can cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals.
- Airborne allergens
- The pollen is generally not considered a major airborne allergen.
- Edibility
- Petunias are not considered edible and may cause stomach upset if ingested.
How to identify it
- Trumpet shaped colorful flowers
- Sticky glandular hairs on foliage
- Soft oval shaped green leaves
- Spreading or mounding growth habit
- Height
- 0.15 to 0.45m
- Spread
- 0.3 to 0.9m
- Leaves
- green, deciduous
- Flowers
- purple, pink, white, red, yellow, blue, 5 to 10cm
Problems to watch for
- AphidsCommon
- Botrytis BlightCommon
- ChlorosisCommon
- Gray MoldUncommon
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Growing it
- Propagation
- seed, cuttings
- When to plant
- spring
Pair petunias with plants that have similar water needs to avoid root rot in mixed containers.
Grows well with
Similar species
- Calibrachoa · Often called million bells, they look like miniature petunias.
Science
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Genus
- Petunia
- Order
- Solanales
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Native range
- South America
- Conservation
- This is a cultivated hybrid and is not of conservation concern.
In the wild, these plants are adapted to sunny, well drained rocky slopes.
- Value to wildlife
- nectar source
- Pollinators
- bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds
- Uses
- container gardening, hanging baskets, bedding plants, window boxes
Through the year
Ecological indicators
- Salinity
- 2/9
- Soil reaction
- 6/9
- Light
- 8/9
- Temperature
- 7/9
- Moisture
- 5/9
- Nutrients
- 6/9
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Questions people ask
- Why are my petunias getting leggy?
- They likely need more sunlight or a light trim to encourage bushier growth.
- How often should I water them?
- Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from the Tupi word 'petun', which refers to tobacco, a related plant.
Good to know
- Petunias belong to the Solanaceae family, making them relatives of tomatoes and potatoes.
- They are technically perennials but are grown as annuals in most climates.
- Deadheading spent blooms encourages the plant to produce more flowers.
Keep your garden petunia growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.