Petunia Night Sky

Petunia Night Sky is an extraordinary variety, very trendy, and has become a true star in the gardening world. It produces large funnel-shaped flowers with a truly fascinating colour, light-years away from anything that exists in terms of flower colours. They are all different, but each one whimsically redistributes a pattern evoking a constellation, creating a medley of variable-sized white spots surrounded by a luminous halo, as if projected onto a dark purple celestial vault. They bloom from summer to frost on a vigorous plant that can exceed 1m (3.3 ft) in diameter, forming a fabulous cascade capable of transforming any terrace into a fantastic setting for a parallel universe.

The Petunia belongs to the Solanaceae family; it is closely related to ornamental tobacco, for example, and its foliage also contains alkaloids. These annual, biennial, or tender perennial plants are mostly grown as annuals and are all native to the warm regions of South America.

The Petunia Night Sky is part of a new series of hybrids that stands out from the rest and won the Gold Medal at Fleuroselect in 2016. It forms a vigorous, dense, and semi-trailing clump, with long velvety stems that rise to 20-30cm (7.9 - 11.8 in) before cascading down 1 metre (3.3 feet) or more. The plant is in bloom from May-June to October, provided it is regularly supplied with water and fertiliser. Its cup-shaped flowers are large, approximately 8cm (3.1 in) in diameter, with a deep blue-violet colour, sprinkled with variable-sized white spots. These spots appear more intensely when there are significant temperature differences between day and night. They bloom on dense foliage. The leaves, quite downy, are ovate and pointed, with entire margins and a dark green colour. It is vigorous and healthy. This variety exhibits exceptional growth habit and requires very little maintenance: simply remove faded flowers regularly.

No other annual flowering plant has undergone such intense selection by breeders for such a long period. The results are impressive, as petunias rival geraniums in terms of splendour and length of flowering, as demonstrated by this Night Sky variety, sparkling, a true horticultural feat in terms of colour. Plant it in large dark-coloured, black or dark gray designer pots or hanging baskets, creating a perfect contrast with white Petunia varieties. You can also plant it in flower beds to punctuate borders of plants with grey or white foliage, such as cerastiums, sea cinerarias, or artemisias. If you want to stand out, plant several plants to create an original ground cover at the base of plants with grey foliage, such as Nepeta faassenii or annual poppies in pastel colours. Use its flowers to decorate a centrepiece, sprinkled with silver glitter, for example: you will amaze your guests!

Note: Please be aware that our young plants in mini pots are professional products intended for experienced gardeners. Upon receipt, transplant and store them in sheltered areas (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame...) at a temperature above 14°C for a few weeks before being installed outdoors once all risk of frost has passed.