7 Surfinia and petunia plants to brighten up the terrace or garden

Petunia 'Merlot'

The Petunia ‘Merlot’ rewards us with superb flowers in a deep pink, veined with an even darker shade—a purplish, almost-black hue, just like the centres of the blooms. It’s a rare colour for a petunia. From June to October, it produces a cascade of large single flowers, 5 to 6 cm in diameter, with five petals arranged in a circular pattern, with one flower per peduncle.

This Surfinia Petunia makes a very handsome hanging specimen, with its long, densely downy stems. It reaches 30 to 50 cm in height with a spread of around the same. It is drought- and heat-tolerant and thrives in a sunny position. Install this balcony plant in a pretty hanging pot or paired with another annual under the same cultivation conditions, such as a Diascia ‘Breeze Plus Pink’, with soft pink flowers and a dark eye, a cooler colour.

Petunia Sophistica 'Lime Green'

The Petunia Sophistica ‘Lime Green’ offers flowers of remarkable simplicity, 5 to 6 cm in diameter, in a very fresh, bright colour, a yellow leaning toward lime-green, with the added benefit of not fading over time. It forms a compact, neat-looking tuft, about 35 cm tall and 30 cm wide. Like all petunias, it prefers a wind-sheltered position, in rich soil or substrate to support its large floribundity.

It is superb when contrasted with the sumptuous Petunia Sophistica ‘Blackberry’, with flowers almost black, in a large elevated pot on the terrace or balcony, with variegated foliage of a plant such as Holcus mollis albovariegatus variegated creeping soft grass for a contemporary effect.

Petunia 'Night Sky'

‘Night Sky’ is a Petunia variety renowned for its stunning flowers in a colour totally unprecedented in the world of flowers. This Petunia produces large funnel-shaped flowers, each one different, evocative of constellations. On a bloom with a dark blue-violet background, small white spots of varying sizes, surrounded by a bright halo, speckle this night-sky backdrop. The plant is vigorous and can spread up to 1 m across with a height of 20–30 cm. It won the Gold Medal at Fleuroselect in 2016.

This Petunia, evocative of a fantastical world, forms a fabulous semi-trailing cascade of unreal-looking blooms, flowering from June until the first frosts, on healthy, dense foliage. It requires very little maintenance. Plant it in a handsome dark-coloured pot, on its own, to give it the space it deserves and to showcase its flowering.

Petunia Cascadias 'Indian Summer'

The Petunia Cascadias ‘Indian Summer’ is another remarkable variety, whose warm-coloured flowers continually change colour. They open in a yellow shade, gradually turning to a coppery orange, then take on a pink-orange hue, or sometimes brick red, before fading. Their velvety texture and they are pleasantly scented. The plant reaches a minimum height of 40 cm and a diameter of 90 cm to 1.2 m, with a very trailing habit.

Plant it in borders or in mass plantings, where it forms large swathes, alongside an Ipomoea with bronze-coloured foliage and a purple reverse ‘Sweet Caroline Bronze’. It looks stunning with the Indian summer hues of the Petunia. Together, they densely cover the base of rose bushes with apricot- or caramel-coloured flowers.

Petunia 'Black Ray'

Discover the silky and velvety flowers in a purple so dark that it’s mistaken for jet-black, from Petunia ‘Black Ray’. It forms, in record time, a round, spreading tuft, very regular, about 40 cm in height by 50 cm in diameter, with a perfect dome habit, barely trailing. Its very large flowers display a silvery sheen at the centre. The foliage, rather pubescent, has entire margins and a dark green hue.

The flowering of this petunia pairs well with silvery foliage such as that of dusty miller or Artemisia. Contrast it nicely with pastel-coloured blooms, such as those of annual poppies or perennial flax. You get a very modern colour combination.

Petunia Surfinia 'Double Lilac'

The Surfinia Petunia ‘Double Lilac’ quickly forms a cascading display of large, very double flowers in medium pink with lilac reflections. The Surfinia Petunia® is a relatively recent sterile hybrid of petunia, created in Japan, with a trailing, drooping habit. It is not upright, which makes it a spectacular plant for hanging baskets. Its stems trail 60–90 cm. It is also notable for its long flowering period. Its very double flowers cluster closely on dense foliage, forming pink ruffles shaded with lilac. It is almost maintenance-free, with its sterile flowers often dropping off on their own.

Pair it in a border of annuals with the fragrant flowers of Pelargoniums, and Garden Verbenas for a pretty floral display. Lighten its large, double flowers with the lightness of Cosmos.

Petunia tumbelina 'Maria'

The Petunia Tumbelina ‘Maria’ offers very pretty double flowers with petals in a rich, vivid azure blue. The Tumbelina series, developed in England, adds to the vigour and colours of this plant a pleasant touch of fragrance. Its stems are densely clothed with large, well-formed, round flowers, 10 cm in diameter, which are indeed subtly scented. This petunia forms a dense, spreading clump very quickly, wider than tall, 30 cm high by 50 cm across. It produces hundreds of flowers from June until the first night frosts. Plant this petunia in a raised pot or hanging basket, so that its flowering stems trail with grace and elegance through the summer and late into the season. In the foreground of an Agapanthus border, they withstand heat, in well-drained soil, with, for example, the blue-green foliage of small fescues and a few clumps of Nepetas.