How to care for petunias There’s still time to sow the tiny seeds. Scatter thinly and barely cover with compost or vermiculite. Then keep them warm at 65-70ºF Plant out in (18-21ºC) in a ventilated polybag late May to preserve moisture. Remove the polybag and cool the seedlings down after germination. Transplant one per pot or module. Buying young plants will bypass the fiddly seedling stage. Unpack promptly, let them acclimatise to their space for a few days (kept moist), then pot them on to 3-3½in (8-9cm) pots of multi-purpose compost. In late May – in most areas – you then harden off (accustom to outdoor temperatures) gradually and plant out in a sunny, sheltered position in well-draining soil, pots or baskets of container plant compost or 50:50 John Innes No2 and soilless peat-free compost. Keep plants moist, but avoid squirting water over the foliage and flowers.
T&M
Alamy
Four cascading plants to brighten your baskets
Bidens ferulifolia A bright, golden yellow Mexican daisy of informal trailing habit. Produces a succession of blooms over divided, fern-like foliage.
T&M
Fibrex.co.uk
Calibrachoa Apricot Shades These smaller-flowered petunia relatives are perfect for wall planters and baskets. Expect warm shades of peach, apricot and yellow.
Petunia Peppy Blueberry Muffin A compact mound of greygreen foliage is joined by eye-catching white blooms with yellow throats and purple stripes.
Pelargonium ‘Rouletta’ Admired for producing very long trailing stems, these white flowers are edged with carmine so they stand out well against ivy-leaved foliage. 29 FEBRUARY 2020 AMATEUR GARDENING
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