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Heirloom petunias fragrant, hearty

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Heirloom petunias fragrant, hearty Petunias are native to South America. Our flashy, modern hybrids are descendants of two species: Petunia axillaris and Petunia integrifolia. (These are the current botanical classifications; both species have been renamed since they were first brought into cultivation.) Petunia axillaris is native to Brazil and was in cultivation in Europe by 1823. The flower has a very long throat; an uncommon characteristic in today’s hybrids, which are bred to have wide, flat faces. Unlike the majority of modern petunias, this species petunia has a wonderful fragrance, especially in the evening. The long, tubular throat of the flower is an adaptation to attract insect and bird pollinators. I grew this species last season and was quite pleased with its simple beauty, rain tolerance, heavy bloom, and hardiness. The plants continued to bloom after frosts in the mid-20s F.

Petunia integrifolia is another fragrant species originally called P. violacea, for its deep purple color. It is native to Argentina and first bloomed in Europe in 1831. It has smaller leaves and flowers than P. axillaris. Hybrids between the two species appeared by 1837 in various colors: pale pink with a dark center, pale yellow with a dark center, white with a dark center. Some of these early hybrids had streaked and veined flowers similar to a popular modern strain of veined petunias. Double petunias were introduced from France in the 1840s. Generally, petunias became popular in the mid nineteenth century; later, by the 1880s, petunias lost popularity as geraniums became fashionable. Their popularity revived again after 1920.

All the oldest named seed strains of petunias from the nineteenth and early twentieth century have disappeared. The oldest seed strain available today of a named variety is ‘Balcony’, in a mix of colors, from the 1920s. The flower colors include purples, pinks, whites and lavenders. Their fragrance is excellent, especially in the evening. Fragrance, a charming attribute of many antique flowers, is often absent in modern hybrid petunias. ‘Balcony’ petunias grow about 10 inches high and spread two feet wide. This makes them suitable for bedding out, window boxes and hanging baskets. The plants bloomed for months this last season.

The picture is of flowers of an heirloom “passalong” seed strain now sold as “Old-Fashioned Climbing” petunias. Plant habit is gently trailing and the colors are soft pastels. Petals of the individual flowers of this strain are thin and filmy, with a more delicate appearance than any other petunias available today. The blooms glow with light captured in the translucent petals, and fragrance is wonderful, especially at night. The plants are narrow— less spreading than modern varieties, so I planted them fairly close together in window boxes and baskets. The stems can reach three feet long, tend to not branch out much, and keep blooming for a long time. This strain is probably the oldest remaining example of nineteenth century petunias, considering the plant’s slender habit and the very delicate, filmy flowers.

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