Pushy Petunias

Pushy Petunias!!  How could I say that about my favorite, most reliable petunia?  I mean it in the kindest way.  Petunia Easy Wave 'Misty Lilac' has proven itself to me over and over.  This season is no different.  While many other petunias have hit the market with their flashy colors or unique names, Misty Lilac just continues to outperform all of them.  And don't be swayed by its generic soft pink color.  This gal coordinates with so many different color combinations.  Admittedly there are lots of individual plants in this container, but it is a giant of a pot and needed lots of stuff to fill the space.

This is very early in the season before Misty Lilac even got going.  I have had to prune it back several times since to keep it full at the top.  Petunias tend to sprawl, leaving the middle open with few flowers.  But if you clip some (about 1/4) of the trailers back to the middle every couple weeks, it will stay full.  But....most important of all....you MUST feed these guys at least once a week with a liquid fertilizer.  Even Misty Lilac likes her "drink".  

If you are wondering what is in the background, that is the companion pot that has a grass in the center - a panicum for sure but I don't know the cultivar since I didn't plant it.  Around it are/were white petunias and pink verbena.  I say "are/were" because this side of the container did not get watered properly and the plants all died so I had to replace with what I had around.  Oh well.....

In the center of this container is a juniper communis called "Gold Cone".  It will only get about 5 feet tall by 2 feet wide.  We'll see how long it stays in this container.  Around the base of it is Sage Bergarteen which will eventually get full and much taller as the season goes along.  I'll keep you posted on how this one evolves.  

Here is another container with Misty Lilac -- it has Angelonia 'Serena White' between it and the Centaurea 'Colchester White' in the middle.  One thing I need to mention is turning the pots.  All of these are round pots sitting in the square outer containers and every several weeks I (and a wonderful young man named Jack) give them a 180 degree turn to allow for all sides to get sun.  Otherwise the "dark side" gets skimpy.  So if you can, turn yours to be sure the plants get an equal opportunity to grow to their max.  

Misty Lilac should be easy enough to find at most garden centers since it has been around so long and has become a staple.  If you don't see it, ask for it.  May not get it that season but the nursery should be able to bring it in for the next one.  Try it....you'll like it!!!