I hate Petunias...

[tansy]

I have come to the conclusion today, that I am starting to hate Petunias... even surifinas.

I've been out watering & dead heading, they are stickie to touch, miserable looking and I can't wait to rip them all out... which is a shame as that is declaring summer as over.

We are terribly dry here this year our lawns are brown and withered - which is bizarre for Normandy!

I think I'm just going to go French from now on and do trailing geraniums which is a bit of a cop out I feel.

What do you all do for tubs & windows?

[Mouse]

Succulents
I love 'em...not much watering needed, lovely colours of foliage and I adore the trailing ones.

Mr M has long been a fan of these and this year after years of battling to keep other flower types watered I switched...have to say they always look good, no dead heading, no brown leaves. Look great in a terracotta pot with gravel on top of the soil.

Mind you I'm in Spain so guests don't expect to see masses of flowers.

Mousie
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[la vache!]

I've been dead heading my geraniums all week - they are worse than petunias! At least the lières simples - the doubles seem to last longer and need less maintenance the the simples.

[enid]

Can't agree that geraniums are worse than petunias - nothing is worse than petunias. Have a couple of days off geraniums and they are still hanging in there - turn your back on a petunia and it's gone all straggly and sad.

[Margaret]

Agree with Enid. This year for the first time I have had mixed window boxes on our house (the guests get geraniums cos they survive being neglected!). Great thing about petunias was that they grew quite tall and made a lovely display. Now it's sticky deadheading and wondering when I can remove them. Our local garden centre has some lovely pansies so I am going to replace the Spring pansies which are now also almost dead with some of them. I have mainly double geraniums here in a deep fuchsia type colour and they are still looking great.

Now thinking about putting bulbs in pots to overwinter and put out in Spring. Does anyone else have tips on doing that?

[pambon]

Mouse - have you considered hibiscus for colour and easy maintenance?

You, like us, have the climate for them and also jasmine and geraniums.

I agree about petunias, so sticky and look awful when they dry up. My gazanias did badly this year as did my Madagascar Periwinkle.

Why do flowers do well one year then badly the next??

[Mouse]

I adore Jasmine Pambon...the aroma is fab. But its too big a plant for window boxes.
Same with hibiscus...they're always fairly large here.

I have to say I've got a fantastic plant in the garden at the moment that has flowered all summer long and is beautiful: grey/green grass-like growth with elegant lilac flowers. I need to find out what its called when I can get back into the garden.

Mouse
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