Opera petunias never let me down (‘Pink Morn’ is my favorite), but for some reason I was never tempted to try Opera ‘Raspberry Ice.’ There was just something about the photos in the seed catalogs that did not appeal to me.
I finally decided to sprout a few seeds this year, and I was pleasantly surprised. The seed catalog photos make the blooms look very “veiny”, but there’s actually a nice contrast between the outer edge of the flowers and the veined purple center.
Opera petunias are outstanding. They bloom like crazy all summer long and don’t need deadheading. They don’t have any pest or disease problems and they don’t get leggy or die out in the center like some petunias tend to do later in the summer.
I’ve never seen Opera petunias for sale at a garden center which is a shame because I think they perform just as well or better than many of the Supertunias and Wave petunias that are all the rage. Thankfully they are easy to sprout from seed.
Opera petunias grow 4 to 6 inches high with a spread of 2 to 3 feet. They look gorgeous spilling out of pots and planters but can also hold their own in a flowerbed.