Tuesday, July 20, 2010

More about petunias

Satisfying curiosity can be extremely easy -- and satisfying -- on the web. I Wicki-ed petunias and here are a few facts -- all I need to know, not being a real gardener -- about petunias.

They are of South American origin and were first described in European literature in the 1820s. Explorer James Tweedie took petunias to the Glasgow Botanical Garden in 1831 and they have since been hybridized into the many plants we have in our gardens and flower pots today. They come in a a wide color range from white to deep purple with all the reds, pinks in between.

The flower is related to a broad range of South American plants: tobacco, tomatoes, deadly nightshade, and chili peppers. I have never heard of anyone trying to eat or smoke petunias and it's probably just as well.

I am just a wee bit fonder of my petunias than I was yesterday when I was ignorant of this information. It's not only absence that makes he heart grow fonder, it's knowledge and understanding as well.

1 comment :

Ladydy5 aka: Diane Yates said...

Why I didn't know that!
A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous but a great deal like what you have on your blog is very useful and quite interesting. I do grow petunias.