Review of popular varieties of petunia from the “Opera” series and their characteristics

Petunia is a favorite flower of many gardeners. It is easy to care for, looks luxurious and blooms all summer long. Flower growers distinguish Opera petunia and its subspecies. White, yellow, blue and pink inflorescences are located along the entire length of the shoots, curl beautifully and shimmer. Next, we’ll learn all about Opera petunia: features of care and maintenance, reviews from experienced gardeners.

Petunia Opera - what is this series of varieties?

Opera - ruler ampel varieties of petunia. It is distinguished by long and curly shoots on which inflorescences of different colors are formed.

Distinctive features

Petunia series Opera is a hybrid that was obtained as a result of artificial pollination of flowers. It has an attractive appearance and strong immunity.

The inflorescences are located densely along the entire length of the shoot, so petunia is actively used in landscape design. Even one pot with such a plant will advantageously decorate a gazebo, porch and other areas of the dacha.

Attention! Petunia Opera is planted not only in gardens, but also in apartments - on loggias or balconies. The length of the lashes reaches 120 cm, the flower is grown in pots or cache-pots.

Popular types

Among the Opera varieties there are white, pink, and purple flowers. Each variety is beautiful and easy to care for, so petunia can be seen in many Russian gardens.

Supreme Raspberry Ice

Petunia Supreme Raspberry Ice (translated as “raspberry ice”) belongs to the series hanging varieties Japanese selection.The color is white-pink with purple veins, the diameter of the flowers is 5-6 cm, the length of the shoot is up to 1 m. The flowers are located tightly to each other, the foliage is rich green.

Supreme Raspberry Ice is characterized by abundant flowering and is undemanding in terms of daylight hours. Petunia looks best in hanging flowerpots or boxes. An excellent option for novice gardeners who are just starting to get acquainted with the varieties of the Opera series.

Blue

The full name of the petunia is Opera Supreme Blue. The shape of the bush is neat, the length of the lash is about 100 cm.

The flowers are large, 5 to 7 cm in diameter, blue-violet in color with iridescence. The leaves are light green, small.

Summer residents note that the flowers do not lose their rich hue even when exposed to bright sunlight.

Opera Supreme Blue rarely gets sick, has a long flowering period and is resistant to external factors.

Purple

Opera Supreme Purple is grown in hanging baskets. The diameter of an adult bush is about 1 m, in some cases reaching 1.2 m.

Petunia is highly branched and looks like an openwork and light cloud. The diameter of the flower is 6 cm, the color is pink-violet, rich and deep.

The Opera Supreme Purple variety is one of the most popular: it does not require much attention and is suitable for a plot of any size.

White

White petunia with a light yellow center is great for growing in hanging structures. Simple in planting and care, seeds can be purchased at any gardening store. The bushes are neat, the length of the lash is about 80 cm.

The flowers are large, with a diameter of 6 to 8 cm. The leaves are rich green, medium in size. Opera Supreme White blooms for 5 months - from June to October. The variety is suitable for cultivation in any region of the country, including the middle zone.

pink morning

The literal translation of the name is “Pink Morning”. The plant forms flexible vines up to 1 m long, which fall in a continuous wave. The color is pink-white, the middle is yellowish.

The advantage of Pink morn petunia is that it does not need pinching, which makes caring for the plant much easier. It is grown in flowerpots or pots.

Attention! Other ampelous varieties are also popular - Opera Supreme Red and Opera Supreme Coral. Red and coral flowers combine harmoniously with white, pink, yellow, blue and purple.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of the Opera petunia are its attractive appearance, ease of care, and undemandingness to the length of daylight hours..

Thanks to this, the flower grows well in regions with short summers, for example, in the Urals or Siberia. Opera petunia is also very popular in landscape design. It will decorate any garden plot.

Problems with growing petunia Opera can only arise if planting and care rules are not followed. For example, if the plant is not watered on time or is planted in small diameter pots.

Long lashes need pruning and formation, otherwise the petunia will turn into a tangled ball. Otherwise, the varieties described above have no disadvantages.

Features of cultivation

Getting a beautiful ampelous petunia bush is not difficult. The main thing is to adhere to simple agrotechnical rules and recommendations.

Landing rules

Ampelous petunia is grown in flowerpots, flowerpots or boxes. But first, the seeds are germinated in glasses or special seedling containers. They do this in February, having prepared the soil and container. Pre-germination of seeds strengthens the plant’s immunity and guarantees long flowering.

Suitable soil for petunia consists of peat, leaf soil, sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. The ingredients are mixed together and sifted to make the soil light.

To speed up seed germination, cover the container with film or thin glass and put it in a room where the temperature is maintained at +20...+22°C. It is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out, otherwise the ampelous petunia will die. Water the seedlings once every 5 days.

Attention! Shoots appear 7-10 days after planting. At this time, it is recommended to spray the petunia daily with water at room temperature. When the first leaves appear, the film is removed. Next, the petunia is planted in boxes or flower pots.

To ensure that picking goes smoothly, gardeners advise removing the sprouts carefully, holding the roots with a lump of damp soil with one hand. The same soil that was prepared for seedlings is suitable for growing on the site. Also, before picking, the plant is hardened - taken out into the fresh air for 3-4 days in a row.

Care

Petunia is demanding of moisture. The soil should be moist, but not wet, as excess water leads to fungal and bacterial diseases. Use only settled and soft water. Since petunia is grown in flowerpots, summer residents regularly monitor the level of accumulated water in special trays. They can't always be wet. This leads to rotting of the roots.

To ensure that the bush is lush and blooms for a long time, it is regularly fed. Fertilizers based on humates and amino acids are excellent for this, for example, Aminozol, MicroMix or Humate + 7 Iodine. Water soluble feeding are quickly absorbed by the plant, do not contain chlorine, and improve the decorative qualities of petunia.

Attention! Due to frequent watering, water can stagnate in the ground, so it is important to improve air circulation by loosening. Carry out the procedure before each watering. Loosening depth is 3-4 cm.

Protection from diseases and pests

Common diseases of petunia are late blight, blackleg, powdery mildew; pests — aphid and ticks. The reasons for the appearance of all diseases and insects are similar - waterlogging, sudden changes in weather, lack or excess of fertilizing, weak immunity.

To avoid diseases, gardeners observe sowing dates, disinfect pots with a solution of potassium permanganate and harden off seedlings.

If the petunia still gets sick, the following treatment methods are used:

1. Treat the bushes with a solution of Bordeaux mixture or potassium permanganate (3 g per 10 liters of water). The procedure is carried out early in the morning, after removing the affected lashes and flowers.
2. If rot is detected, use the drug "Skor" - a systemic fungicide of contact action. Consumption rate: 2 ml per 10 liters of water. Spray petunia 2 times with an interval of 14 days.
3. Fitosporin-M is used for the treatment and prevention of fungal diseases. It is sold in powder or paste form and is suitable for use at any stage of infection. The drug is environmentally friendly and compatible with other treatment methods.

Reproduction

Gardeners use cuttings as a method of propagation. The flower is propagated from February to May, using last year's mother bushes and young petunias grown from seeds.

Reproduction process:

1. 10 cm long apical cuttings are cut from the bushes.
2. Placed in the growth stimulator "Kornevin".
3. Plant in boxes with loose soil and sand, deepening them to 4-5 cm.
4. Water, cover with film and put on the windowsill.
5. After 7 days, when fibrous roots appear, they are transplanted into seedling cups.

Application in landscape design

In addition to planting in flowerpots or flowerpots, ampelous Opera petunia is grown along garden paths or fences. To do this, designers recommend purchasing special stands for drawers. With their help, petunia grows correctly - it falls down cascade.

The main thing is to place them at a distance of 20-30 cm from the path, otherwise the lashes with flowers will fall under your feet.

Attention! Gardeners plant different varieties of Opera petunias together - they sit well next to each other. When planting, maintain a distance between shoots of at least 20 cm. It is also necessary to trim branches that are too long and pinch the tops so that the bush is well-groomed.

Vertical flower beds also look original in the garden. The metal mesh is rolled up and lined with dark material on the inside. The resulting column is filled with soil mixture and holes are made into which flower sprouts are planted. This “petunia tree” looks very impressive.

Reviews from flower growers

Gardeners and vegetable gardeners from all over Russia share their own experience of growing varieties of opera petunia.

Marina, Orel: “My favorite variety is Pink Morne. The flowers are very beautiful and delicate, they do not cause any trouble in caring for them. I’ve been growing the flower for the fourth year in a row, and next season I want to try planting the Opera Purple and White varieties.”

Grigory, Krasnodar region: “I have blue and yellow Opera petunia growing in my garden. The flowers are large, bright, pleasing to the eye until autumn. I water them with rainwater and feed them with humates three times a season. I don’t see any diseases or pests, which is very pleasing.”

Polina, Saratov: “I planted the Supreme Raspberry Ice variety for the first time.The flowers are medium in size, pleasant in color. But because of the rains the bush was sick, had to be treated with Bordeaux mixture. Next year I plan to plant blue flowers. I hope they won’t get sick.”

Conclusion

Gardeners recommend growing Opera petunia from seedlings. This method guarantees strong plant immunity and long flowering. Caring for petunia includes watering and fertilizing, pruning and loosening.

Opera series varieties are indispensable for creating beautiful and attractive flower beds and flower beds. Bushes are grown in flowerpots, vertical flower beds and flowerpots. Petunia blooms from June to October. During this period, it requires preventive treatments against diseases and pests.