Petunias and surfinias are often confused in garden center labels. Are they really two different plants? What is the difference between them? Let's try to find out!
Petunia in all its states
The Petunia genus includes nearly 40 species of perennial or annual plants native to the prairies or rocky slopes of South America. A very popular plant with gardeners, the petunia comes in a multitude of cultivars with very specific characteristics. The 'Grandiflora', which as their name indicates, have flowers of more than 10 cm in diameter, the 'Milliflora' which have small single flowers, the 'Multiflora', bushy varieties covered with medium-sized flowers and the 'Surfinia' which have for main characteristic to be drooping.
The Surfinia is therefore a petunia, more exactly a variety of petunia.
Birth of the Surfinia
A scientist of the firm Suntory based in Japan went on a study trip to Brazil in 1989 for the realization of a viticultural project in this country. He was amazed by a Petunia inflata, a robust species growing naturally in the fields. He brought it back to Japan where Dr. Sagaki crossed it with other species to finally obtain a vigorous and drooping petunia that the marketing kings named 'Surfinia'.
How to recognize a surfinia from a classic petunia?
As we have seen, the Surfinia is a drooping petunia ideal for making beautiful hanging baskets. Very vigorous, it grows several centimeters per day during the growing season and can easily reach more than forty centimeters in length. The stems of the surfinias are thinner and more branched than those of the classic petunias. The color of the flowers, once limited to fuchsia pink or white, extends to purple, pale pink, red, lavender, dark blue and even yellow. There are also bicolored flowers. The size of the flowers is comparable to that of the classic petunias. Other advantages are that surfinias are much more resistant to rain and that it is not necessary to cut off faded flowers because new ones grow back very quickly.
Maintenance of surfinia
Just like the classic petunia, the surfinia needs warmth and sun. Usually grown in hanging baskets or large jars, the surfinia needs very regular watering during the summer. Don't forget to add a 'Special flowering plants' fertilizer every 15 days to support the flowering. Around mid-August, if you notice that your plant is blooming less and that its stems are getting longer and thinner, prune your surfinia at 20 cm from its base. It will regain a new vigor.
