How to plant petunias in October in Phoenix, Arizona

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Petunias do great in the Phoenix, Arizona area. I like them because in addition to their blooms, their foliage has a nice tropical feel to it. Getting them started can be a challenge early, but it can be done, with some ingenuity.

By all means buy 'em small. Once they start to grow they'll spread like wildfire so there's no reason to get large plants. Get a six-pack. But you'll need to baby them along.

I have a nice area that gets some good winter sun, but in October it can still be kinda hot for these little babies. Just drenching them in water isn't enough, they will need some protection. So today after I planted them I scrounged around to create some temporary shade. The weather is cooling off, but I see the forecast has another day in the 90s, and they wouldn't survive that under direct sun.


I sat outside and watched the shadows move, and create some shade. Of course it's not perfect, but it helps a lot. And it's the low afternoon sun that's still very deadly at this time of year. So here's my setup, guarded by my wiener dog, who loves to catch the rays.

These plants are tiny babies, and they need to be treated as such.

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