It is almost embarrassing to admit that for years I have been against flowers with spots. Too gaudy perhaps? Too in your face? Almost like a gimmick for plants? I don’t know if any of these were the reason or not, but after many years on the market I am now the proud owner of a petunia with spots and it is gorgeous!
How to use flowers with spots in containers
I actually think containers are the VERY best way to use flowers with spots. These little gems need to be up close to fully be appreciated. I’ve planted my petunia Surprise ‘Sparkle Red’ at the edge of a container near our front door. It is the very first flower that people stop at to admire.
It is easy to combine these with other plants for a very nice composition. I actually think that a pot of just flowers with spots would be too much, but in combination with others it really helps them to stand out. Even though none of my other plants are flowering, the others provide a sort of green backdrop to which these spotted flowers really stand out.
Changing patterns of flowers with spots
The photo above shows 2-3 day old spotted petunia flowers (specifically, Petunia Surprise ‘Sparkle Red’ from Dummen Orange). The photo below shows flowers that have just opened today and you can see how the white pattern in these really changes. It is part of their charm to see the increasing white as the flowers age.
The folks at Dummen Orange are responsible for releasing these to the market. I’ve always been a big fan of almost all of their plants and these are adding to the growing list. The habit for this is described as “semi-hanging” and reaffirms it as an excellent container plant.
There are several varieties of petunias with spots available. I believe the dark purple has been on the market the longest. I’ve ignored these for long enough that I might need to get out and see if I can find one of these to grow too!
