Petunia F1 Easy Wave Red

The Trailing Petunia 'F1 Easy Wave Red', also known as Petunia x hybrida hedgiflora, has a theatrical quality. It has a truly trailing habit and produces stems over 60 cm (24in) tall, completely covered in voluptuous flowers cut from a bright and deep red velvet. The plants resist bad weather, botrytis, and flower continuously until the first frost. This annual plant unfurls its sumptuous layers tirelessly in summer flower beds, generously overflowing from pots and hanging baskets. Sow under glass from late winter in fertile and light soil.

Our hybrid petunias come from several plants native to the warm regions of South America. Trailing petunias originated by chance when a scientist noticed in 1989, on the edge of a field, a particularly vigorous wild petunia covered in bright flowers: Petunia inflata. Crossed with other species and hybrids, this species gave rise to trailing petunias named Surfinias. The Trailing Petunia 'F1 Easy Wave Red' belongs to the Solanaceae family and is closely related to ornamental tobacco and its foliage also contains alkaloids. This plant quickly forms a round clump, almost like a bush, at least 60 cm (24in) tall and 40 cm (16in) in diameter, with a very trailing habit. It produces cascades of flowers from June until the first frost, as long as faded flowers are regularly removed and supplied with fertiliser. Its cup-shaped velvety flowers are a good size, measuring 6 cm (2in) in diameter, in bright and deep red with a dark centre. The foliage, quite pubescent, particularly resistant to diseases and bad weather, has entire edges and a dark green colour.

No other annual flowering plant has undergone such thorough selection work by breeders for over a century. The results are impressive, as petunias rival geraniums in terms of splendour and length of flowering, as demonstrated by this Easy Wave Red variety. Plant it in large pots near high-traffic areas or hanging baskets above walls, wherever its flower-covered stems can trail down. You can also plant them in borders, in large clusters, to punctuate the borders of plants with grey foliage such as geraniums or artemisias or to cover the base of roses.

Attention, seeds reserved for highly experienced gardeners accustomed to sowing very fine seeds. These seeds are as fine as dust, barely visible to the naked eye.