PETUNIA

 These popular flowers are great for growing in landscape beds, containers, window boxes, hanging baskets and more. Petunias are vigorous, heat-tolerant annuals that aren't fussy and need little maintenance. Plus, they come in a lots of bright colors and bloom from spring until frost.

Petunia seeds are tiny, but seeds of elite strains are often sold in pelleted form, which makes them easier to handle. Pelleted or plain, sow petunia seeds by gently pressing them into moist seed-starting mix. Then sprinkle on more mix until the seeds are barely covered. Kept warm and moist, the seeds usually germinate within 7 days.

Treat petunia seedlings as if they were tiny tomatoes or any other Solanaceae cousin. Move them to roomier pots as needed, and take some time with the hardening off process. Set the plants out after your last frost date in rich, well-drained soil or roomy containers. In midsummer, perk up tired plants by cutting them back by half and drenching them with a high nitrogen liquid fertilizer.