Sun & Water for Petunias

Sun

• Petunias are a flower you can grow in a landscape with full direct sunlight or one that has shade to it. Petunias prefer full sun, wanting approximately six hours a day of it, according to the National Garden Bureau. They will reward you with more blooms for the long hours of direct sunlight, unless you live in the Deep South, where you should seek to plant your petunias in an area that is shaded at the noon hour. But petunias can be successfully grown in partial shade, too. They will flower less often -- and still need some sunlight each day -- but pruning back this type can sometimes rejuvenate blooms during the spring to fall season.

Water

• Plant petunias and forget about the need to daily water your flower garden. These flowers are drought-tolerant and thrive from the water they get in periodic rain. You may need to water occasionally if you plant your petunias in a window box planter, where the soil will not be as deep, limiting the amount of rainfall it can hold for future use -- and where soils can dry out quickly during hot days. You may also need to water if your geographical area gets little rain during the growing season of petunias, from spring to fall.

Considerations

• Petunias don't have to be fertilized. However, they do benefit from a monthly balanced fertilizer application. To ensure petunia success and limit maintenance, plant petunia types based upon their needs. For example, plant floribunda petunias if you want a more weather-tolerant petunia that flowers earlier in the season -- grows large -- and produces mass petunia blooms for your landscape, hanging baskets or container pots. Plant milliflora petunias if you want smaller flowers and blooms; they bloom profusely in the spring and do not require pruning in midsummer to maintain the color profusion in your landscape.

Warning

• Smokers should wash their hands well before handling their petunia plants. Handling plants with tobacco smoke on your hands can result in leaves turning yellow-green in color and becoming deformed, according to Oregon State University. Smoking or chewing tobacco around your petunia plants can also cause them to be deformed.