Petunia - Rainmaster

Wow. I wouldn’t really consider myself a petunia lover but this one blew me away. First there is the fragrance, sweet vanilla with a touch of clove that attracts butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and night flying moths. Next there is the profusion of large, glow in the dark tubular flowers that are perfect in a moon garden. The plants started flowering in my greenhouse as seedlings and kept it up until frost even though I didn’t deadhead. (Deadheading will result in even more flowers) Unlike most petunias, the flowers endured severe rainstorms without dissolving and finally there is the fact that this species of petunia P. axillaris has been in gardens since the 1820’s and comes from the wilds of South America. There will definitely be a pot of this on my patio from this point on. Deer resistant.

Petunia axillaris

Life cycle: Annual