As to growing more petunias from seeds obtained from the spreading type plants......we all know that the results may not exhibit those of the parent plants. That won't mean they won't be pretty or not worth saving. It just means that the plants produced will not be consistant in size and character one from the other. Not all attributes relate to appearance of the flower, they may vary in size, tidy-ness, bloom size, spread and of course if open pollinated colour. I often get tiny petunia plants coming up in the greenhouses under the basket and potted stock. I may have all sorts of varieties and cultivars, from mini-flowered and tiny plants to hedgifolias. Last year, I let a few of them grow on just out of curiosity and two were just darling. One of the was the exact shade of dusty purple as a Plum Pudding poinsettia. It may have come off the Picobella miniature line but was taller and more open, I have no clue what it pollinated against. I have no intention of asexually propagating it or continuing the line, just saying if you do have chance seedlings off spreading petunias, it's a crap shoot, sometimes worth growing on, sometimes not...but it 'ain't' genetically like its parents.

No, it's not too late. They're even frost tolerant and shall hang in there until a hard freeze. To keep baskets in bloom all the time, it's helpful to just cut back half the stems at a time, and do it on an on-going basis, so it won't be that noticeable, but since you haven't pruned them at all yet, you may as well just do it all. How far depends on how long and straggly they are. Prolly at least by half.

Hi, Heather - I started using didies in pots long before I had ever heard of moisturizing pellets, but I think they each have their good points. The pellets are throughout the soil, so more feeder roots reach them during normal growth; and IMO, the swelling and shrinkage process helps keep the soil aerated. The didies hold more (lots more) water, which makes them superb for pots which have a tendency to dry out quickly but not useful for plants with taproots. I buy the very cheapest overnighters when on sale, I think the last bag came from FoodLion, 60 largest-size overnighters for something like $5. I trim off the excess plastic from each side of the pad (this gets rid of the elastic) and then literally line the pot, with the plastic against the pot side, keeping the liner at least an inch below soil level. Fill with the potting soil and add water- I've been known to dunk the whole thing in a bucket and let it soak up overnight. Let the soil drain before planting. After the initial dunking, it takes 2 to 3 cups water per didie per pot if you wait until the soil is dry (that means the didie is dry too, which really isn't a good idea). I've found it easier just to water thoroughly on a pre-set schedule, the didie will soak up any excess water and release it as the soil dries out. A 10" pot with a full-grown maverick star geranium has 2 didies, and is watered about once a week even when sitting in the sun on a south patio; same pot gets water every 20 days during the winter when it's sitting on the inside windowsill. The didies are effective for about 2 years, which is okay since the soil should be refreshed by that time, anyhow :) Larger pots will require more didies, and it's still a bit of a guess as to when to water, but even the largest pots don't seem to need water more than about every third day. BTW, DH helped last year by transplanting some potted geraniums into a flower bed; he left one didie around the roots, and those plants did far better than the ones without diapers, in spite of both having equal access to spread their roots in the soil. I suspect it would be worthwhile to experiment with didies in the garden to help water-loving plants though our summers - I just keep forgetting to try it!

maryjo, the only way I could ever get verbena b. to germinate was by winter sowing. I never had any luck under lights...if you have success I would love to hear how you did it! The pot with the tomato cage tower is roughly 30 inches in diameter. Thank you so much for the compliment. My neighbors think I'm crazy! mk, I am wondering if maybe you have too many plants in each planter? I know that tidals when planted together will kind of push against each other and grow more upwards. To get the cascading effect I do a lot of side-planting. I cut holes in my coco liners (and even drill holes in my plastic pots). I know someone posted earlier that tidals should be planted in the ground....that may be true but I have had a lot of success in planters. They need a lot of room and a lot of regular fertilizing. They seem to take over but I kind of like that look. Sorry to hear that your hubby neglected your pots! If the flowers are gone and they are looking a little stressed I would for sure prune them way back like rhizo suggested. Maybe after a week of "love" give them some fertilizer at half strength or less. I hope they pop back!