Skip to Content

How Long Do Petunias Last? (Quick Answers)

Petunias are one of the most beautiful and planted flower plants. The stunning colors of petunias attract the attention of people from your garden. So, people love to grow petunias in their garden. 

You might have heard about the difficulty of preserving petunias in the winter season. 

So, you might be confused about how long petunias last. Well, you have to know the average life of petunias. Then you can take care of them well. Moreover, you can also preserve them from the weather effect. 

Also, you can try to make them last longer. So, let’s see details about petunias. 

How long do petunias last?

Generally, petunias last between 2 and 3 years. But they act as annuals. For example, it becomes tough for petunias to live in the winter season. Petunias can’t survive excessive cold weather. But with care and precaution, you can make petunias last longer, up to 2 to 3 years. 

However, you can grow petunias in different places like in pots, hanging baskets, ground, or indoors. Each of these places might have other effects on the petunias. For example, wave petunias can last up to 3 years indoors if you care correctly. 

So, let’s see how long petunias survive in different places. 

Petunias last in pots or hanging baskets:

Generally, petunias in pots and hanging baskets last longer than in the ground. Petunias can’t survive freezing temperatures. So, if you can keep them away from excessive cold weather, you can make them last longer. 

So, if you put them in pots or hanging baskets, they might not always be safe from cold. So, with proper care, petunias can live up to 3 years in pots and hanging baskets. 

Petunias last in the ground:

Petunias can’t last long in the ground. When petunias are on the ground, the cold weather affects them the most. So, the petunias might not live up to one year. It will be hard for petunias to survive the low temperature during the winter season. 

Petunias last indoor:

Petunias can last up to 3 years indoors. The temperature is not too low indoors. So, when you grow petunias inside the house, they will be safe from excessively low temperatures. 

Can you keep petunias alive all year?

You might know that petunias are perennial plants. So, they can live all year for up to 2 to 3 years. But petunias can’t survive the excessive cold. So, let’s see whether you can keep petunias alive in different seasons or not. 

Summer:

Petunias live well in the summer. You don’t even need to protect them from the weather during summer. Generally, petunias live well in hot weather. Even they can survive up to 80 degrees centigrade temperature. 

These plants can survive the summer without additional effort. Petunias live better in the summer. 

Winter:

Winter is not a suitable season for petunias. If the weather is moderately cold, petunias might survive. But they can’t survive freezing temperatures. If the weather in your area is cold, you have to take additional measures to keep petunias alive. 

Otherwise, petunias will not survive the winter season. If you can take care of the plants during winter, they can live up to 3 years. 

Do petunias come back every year?

Petunias come back every year, but this happens only for 2 to 3 years. You might know that petunias are perennial plants. They can live more than two years generally. So, petunias will come back every year for a couple of years.

Moreover, it also depends on the season and weather of your area. During the summer season, the petunias can live well. Petunias love summer and hot weather. But if the temperature is low, it becomes hard to live for petunias. 

So, if your area is winter-based, the petunias might not survive all year. So, they will not come back every year. 

Can you save petunias over winter?

Yes, you can save petunias over winter. You might know that petunias can’t survive cold weather. So, it becomes hard for them to live in the winter. For saving petunias over winter, you can follow different ways. 

You can keep the petunia as a dormant plant. Otherwise, you can keep the petunia as a houseplant. The plant will not receive too cold weather when you keep petunias indoors. The plants will be protected inside. 

So, if you want to keep petunias safe over winter, you have to keep them either as dormant plants or as a houseplant. 

How to make petunias last longer?

Now that you know petunias can face difficulties living longer, you might want to know how to make them last longer. So, let’s see how you can make petunias last longer. 

Plant petunias indoor

If you want to make petunias last longer, you can plant them indoors. Petunias like hot weather. So, you might think of growing them outside. But excessive cold weather can harm these plants. 

On the other hand, indoor plants don’t receive too much cold weather. They can stay warm in the winter season. If you plant petunias in pots or hanging baskets, you can keep them in the sunlight during summer. 

Besides, you can keep them inside the house during winter. Thus, petunias will last longer. 

Over winter petunias

You can also follow some overwintering ideas. For example, you can keep petunias as dormant plants. For doing this, you also have to keep the plants indoors in a controlled environment. 

You have to keep the plants in a warm environment during the winter. When the temperature is more than 40 degrees, you can keep the plants outside. 

Regular care

With regular care, you can also make petunias last longer. For example, you should water the petunias regularly. But you should also ensure that you don’t overwater the plants. You can also ensure a good drainage system for the petunias pots. 

Moreover, petunias like warm weather and sunlight. So, you can keep them in the sunlight. Also, you can provide fertilizer to keep the plants active. 

How to winter over petunias?

You can winter over petunias by following two processes. Let’s see how you can winter over petunias. 

Keep petunias as dormant plants

Keeping petunias as dormant plants means maintaining the plants in a controlled environment into a dormant state. You have to do this in the winter season. But when the temperature rises to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you have to keep the plants outside. 

During summer, you have to keep the plants outside to stay no longer in the dormant state. 

Keep petunias as houseplants

You can also keep petunias as houseplants during winter. Either you can put them in pots or hanging baskets. But make sure that the plants are not at freezing temperature. 

You have to keep them in a warm place in your house. Moreover, make sure that the plants receive enough sunlight. This way, you can keep the plants for decorating indoors also.  

How long do petunia flowers last?

Determining how long petunia flowers will last is pretty difficult. Because each flower type has different specifications and lasting time. But you might know that petunias are perennial. That means they will live more than two years. 

But petunias don’t last too long. They might last up to 2 to 3 years. So, the flowers of petunia will also bloom and last up to some months. But if the plant lives after winter, the flowers will bloom again. 

Generally, petunia flowers don’t last that long. But they bloom so much in numbers that you might overlook how long the flowers last. 

How long do petunia seeds last?

Generally, petunia seeds are supposed to be planted within one year. So, petunia seeds will last at least one year. But the viability of petunia seeds remains after one year. 

So, petunia seeds can last up to 2 to 3 years if you can store them well. If you don’t take care and keep them well, the seeds will not last long. But if you can store them in a controlled environment, the seeds will last up to 3 years. 

Final Thoughts

Petunias can last up to 2 to 3 years. But how long petunias will last also depends on the environment. Because petunias hardly survive the winter season. They can’t bear the low temperature during winter. So, if you can care enough to winter over petunias, they might live more than two years.