Many gardeners heap scorn on petunias, but I’ve always had a soft spot for these summer annuals which are available in a myriad of colours and forms including the perennial varieties sold as Million Bells or calibrachoa.

Petunias flower in red, purple, pink, yellow or white or the flowers may display combinations of these colours. They can be large or small flowered and some have doubled or ruffled blooms.

They can look gaudy, especially when grown as a mass of different colours, but they are a fast and foolproof way to inject colour into your garden for summer. To minimise the riot of colour, choose colour mix seedling varieties, or limit your planting to one or two colours that match the colour scheme in your garden. Boldly coloured petunias can also be used to add highlights to a green garden or enliven an outdoor entertaining area such as a barbecue area or around a swimming pool.

Apart from their brilliant colour, I also like petunias because they are tolerant of both heat and humidity. Even if they are hit by a hot, dry, gusty day, or a heavy storm, most bounce back without too much damage.

The best heatproof petunias are those with smaller flowers as these generally cope with both the high temperatures and the wet of summer.

Petunia 'Million Bells' is a smaller-flowered variety.

Planting and growing tips

Petunias look great in hanging baskets.

Petunias can be grown in the garden or in containers including hanging baskets. They need a sunny spot and grow best with regular watering, plus a liquid plant food every two to three weeks. Petunias need at least six hours of sun, but full sun from morning to mid-afternoon brings on their best performance.

You can buy petunias as seeds, seedlings, small flowering pot plants (bloomers) or as flowering hanging baskets. Seed is planted from late winter to summer and seedlings are available from late winter. Petunias are frost-sensitive, so avoid planting them out in the garden until all threat of frost has passed.

Expect around 12 weeks from seed sowing to flowering. Seedlings may bloom six to 10 weeks from planting into a pot, hanging basket or garden bed.

Petunias come in a range of shapes, including ruffled petals and double flowers.

Give seedlings or small plants a good soaking in a seaweed solution before planting to avoid transplant shock. Soaking also ensures the root balls are moist all the way through before they are planted out into the ground or a pot.

As the plants grow, ‘tip prune’ them to encourage branching growth. Tip pruning just means pinching out the soft tip growth using your fingers or secateurs to encourage the pair of shoots below the tip to branch out.

When flowering begins, regularly remove spent flowers to keep plants compact and producing more blooms. Petunias tend to die back towards the end of summer or into autumn. At this stage, most plants can be removed to make room for autumn and winter plantings. Perennial forms can be cut back at this time and may regrow and re-flower in spring.

Pest patrol

Snails are among a host of insects that will happily make a meal of your seedlings.

Protect seedlings from snails and slugs (use snail baits or regular inspections). Also check plants for caterpillars, such as loopers or cabbage white butterfly larvae, which may feed on the flowers or leaves. Squash any you see or apply a garden spray to kill caterpillars such as Dipel or Success Ultra. Always apply chemicals according to the label instructions.