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Although the frost has finished off most of the annuals, there are a few more noteworthy ones I wanted to mention in my series on the 'Keepers' in my garden. These include those I've enjoyed for many years and those more recently discovered, that I will likely grow again because of their individual merits. Today's post is dedicated to a new favorite petunia....'Dolce Flambe'.
This new variety, by an Italian breeder, is so lovely in it's subtle blending of colors...a pale rose infused with lemon and splashed with white. One catalog described the overall effect as "that of a ripe peach." I started these from seed, as I do most of my flowers.
I noticed that the blooms start out a darker rose (such as the ones on the right in the above photo) and then fade to a softer color. This difference also added to the overall color interest of the plant. The light, creamy yellow companion flower here is 'Dolce Limoncello,' by the same breeder. Though I liked the combination, I think 'Dolce Flambe' would look good on it's own, as well.
Though most blooms had just a white edging, some looked like the flowers pictured above. Cool, aren't they? The blooms are about 3 inches across and the plant height is 8-10 inches tall, blooming from early to late summer. Overall, a winner in my book..... I will definitely grow these again for their interesting and lovely shades of pastel color!
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18 comments:
I'm not much of a petunia planter, but those are mighty tempting. I might just look for those next spring.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Ooooooooooooooh! I've looked at these, did you start them wintersown?
BTW I will, will, will send the seeds....I am busy making Christmas gifts and I am having a bit of anxiety over it.
My sincere apologies.
Wow, it sure beats the common ones we planted this year. The flowers are really beautiful. Where did you buy the seeds? Do they bloom all summer?
Wow, I really love these. Gorgeous!
Me - No, these were not winter sown. I started them indoors early (Mid-March for me), then brought them out to the greenhouse when it was warmer. Before I had the greenhouse, I grew them indoors under lights until it was time to harden off. They need 8-10 weeks from seed to bloom, and warmth for germination.
I don't recall about seeds...could you please refresh my memory? :-)
Ki - I bought seed from Pinetree Garden Seeds. I think Parks also sold it, but I read on Dave's Garden website that several people who bought seed from them were disappointed in the washed out colors of their petunias. (?)
Thompson & Morgan has one called 'Salmon Flambe' which looks very pretty, too... lighter colors.
Yes, they bloom well all summer!
Oh, those are beautiful, and Ki already asked my question so I'll be visiting the Pinetree Seeds site in the very near future. I think I used to get their catalog long ago.
Beautiful colors. I need to try those. I have yet to try petunias.
The Pinetree Seeds should pay you for that sort of advertising! I'll be visiting them too. I'm not a petunia fan, but those are beautiful!!
Oh, beautiful, and just the colours I use in my front garden! I must see if we have them in Australia yet; they might not have passed through quarantine.
Those are really pretty. And you know me, I am not petuniea fan.
I am a big fan of Petunias; we don’t have much of a variety in our local stores. This is the time to plant them and they look great by Christmas. I like that Dulce Flambe the name is perfect
Connie, I can see why you consider this petunia a keeper, I love flowers that change shades as they age, lovely photo.
That's a beauty! Does it have fragrance? How many annuals do you start from seed? And, where?
I'm not much of a petunia person gardener but I liked the visual effect created by the white scalloped edges. Like a flower inside a flower.
Dolce Flambe e bella!!! What a lovely petunia. I like petunias and have them in my garden every year. I have never sown my own petunias, are they difficult to raise from seed?
Layanee - I didn't notice any fragrance. The only petunias I've grown that have fragrance are the open-pollinated heirloom types.
I start all my annuals from seed. I usually have 3 or 4 flats of petunias, and also grow cosmos, zinnias,etc. I'm guessing around 10 flats total. Used to start them inside under lights until I got my greenhouse 2 years ago. I still start petunias inside, and then bring out to greenhouse later. See below for germination requirements.
Yolanda Elizabet - I don't find them hard to grow from seed, if you attend to their special needs. The seeds are very tiny and need light and warmth to germinate, so are sown on the surface of potting soil and left uncovered. Then as they grow, they need pinching out a few times in order to branch nicely. Start 8-10 weeks before last frost.
WOW! I absolutely LOVE that last photo! I considered growing some of the 'Flambe's this year, but didn't. Looks like I might have to do it next year! So, so pretty!
I've never really been a fan of petunias, but those are the prettiest things I've ever seen.
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