Petunia Supertunia Bordeaux

Petunia 'Supertunia Bordeaux' has impressive cascades of single, funnel-shaped flowers in a lovely pale pink veined with purple violet, around an almost black throat. This vigorous and naturally branching annual plant forms a flowering dome from late spring until autumn. Its bright appearance and resistance to heat and bad weather make it useful both in the garden and in pots. This particularly generous plant needs full sun and regular watering to thrive.

Petunia belongs to the Solanaceae family; it is closely related to ornamental tobacco and its foliage also contains alkaloids. These annual, biennial or frost-sensitive perennial plants are most often grown as annuals and are all native to warm regions of South America. Petunia Supertunia is a sterile hybrid petunia dating back to 2006, with a trailing and weeping habit rather than an upright one, which makes it a magnificent plant in hanging baskets. It also stands out for its beautiful and very long flowering period.

Petunia 'Supertunia Bordeaux' forms a particularly vigorous and trailing clump of 40 cm (16in) high (sometimes 60 cm (24in)) that cascades to 90 cm (35in), or even 1.20 m (4ft) by the end of the season. The plant is in bloom from June to October, or even until the first frost, provided it is regularly fed, and watered during prolonged dry periods. Its single, medium-sized cup-shaped flowers are 5 cm (2in) wide, packed tightly together on its long downy stems, hiding dense, vigorous and healthy foliage. The greyish-green, hairy leaves are oval with a pointed tip and entire edges. This variety tolerates bad weather and heat well, and its faded flowers fall off naturally.

No other flowering annual plant has been subject to such intense selection by breeders for such a long period. The results are impressive and petunias rival pelargoniums for the splendour and length of their flowering, as demonstrated by this 'Supertunia Bordeaux' variety. Plant it in large pots, troughs, or hanging baskets, alone or mixed with a blue or pink Surfinia, a purple-leaved Ipomoea (I.Sweet Heart Purple), or a blue sage, as it will not smother these companion plants. If you want it to stand out, plant several to create an original ground cover at the base of grey-leaved plants such as Nepeta faassenii or annual poppies in pastel colours.

Supplied as growing plants from 4 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in packs of 5 small plug plants measuring 2.8 cm (1in) in diameter and 4 cm (2in) high and labelled separately. Our plants are at least eight weeks old and strong enough to be planted in the ground.

Note: Attention, our plug plants are products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under shelter (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame...) at a temperature above 14° C for a few weeks before being planted outdoors once all risk of frost has passed.