Petunia Tumbelina Cherry Ripple

The Petunia 'Tumbellina Cherry Ripple' is a recent and highly fragrant variety, with a dense and semi-trailing habit that will happily overflow from pots and hanging baskets, in a whirlwind of tricoloured, double and crumpled flowers. Each one is different, but all are variegated with carmine and cherry pink, more or less spotted with white on the edges. This annual tirelessly unfurls waves of colour in summer compositions, without interruption, until October. To be grown in the sun, in fertile, light and fresh soil.

Hybrid petunias all come from several plants native to the warm regions of South America. The chance discovery of trailing petunias occurred in 1989, when a scientist noticed a particularly vigorous wild petunia with bright flowers on the edge of a field: the Petunia inflata. Crossed with others, this species gave birth to trailing petunias, which marketing named Surfinias. The semi-trailing 'Tumbellina Cherry Ripple' Petunia belongs to the Solanaceae family, it is close to ornamental tobacco, for example, its foliage also contains alkaloids. This plant quickly forms a dense and spreading clump, wider than tall, 30 cm (12in) tall and 50 cm (20in) in diameter. It produces hundreds of flowers from June until the first night frosts, provided it is regularly supplied with fertilizer. Its flowers are of medium size, original, shiny and gently fragrant. The foliage, quite pubescent, has entire edges and a dark green colour.

No other annual flowering plant has been subjected to such in-depth selection work by breeders for over a century. The results are impressive, as petunias rival geraniums in terms of splendor and length of flowering, as demonstrated by this variety. Place it in large pots or hanging baskets, above walls, wherever its flower-covered stems can cascade down. 5 identical or mixed color plants are enough to fill a large flower box. You can also plant them in borders, in large swathes, to punctuate borders of plants with gray foliage like cerastium or artemisia, or cover the base of roses.

Note: Please be aware that our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under cover (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before being installed outdoors once the risk of frost has definitively passed.