The trouble with growing these plants upwards is that they are not climbers. They will not grab on to a support. You would have to tie every tendril up every few days and that would be a pain considering that there are plants that are natural climbers that would do the same thing.

No thanks--I'd have a nicer arrangement by using plants the way they naturally grow with a lot less work

Friend, thanks for jumping in and helping to make this a conversation in general, and maybe I'm having an inappropriate reaction, but sheesh, what a buzz-kill. Nothing about my post advocates anyone should try this. I already made your point, so really unnecessary to make it again, sounding like I asked for advice. If petunias had tendrils, they wouldn't need any help climbing. Playing with plants is how I relax, not work.

I wish you a pleasant day of zero negativity!

I actually had a petunia plant that grew upwards on its own. I grew it from seed. It was just ordinary petunia seed from Dollar General or Walmart, but it grew upwards. I have some seed from it that I planted this year, hoping it will do so again.

Sorry purpleinoop if you thought I was negative and raining on your parade. I was giving my opinion and that's all it was. If you want to try growing petunias UP go right ahead.

Just don't try growing Climbing Roses "up." They won't climb anything... you'll only end up disappointed with all the weaving and tying and support and encouragement.

I even built tiny ladders and strung Christmas lights to show they way, but the so-called Climbing Roses wouldn't follow.

Here's what you should do! Grow them "down" in a hanging pot... then cut them loose from the pot, put the pot on the ground... and say you grew them "up."

LOL!!!!!

Wow. Half my message is still missing.

What is UP with GW?.

Thanks, Dowlinggram. I'm sure you didn't intend to offend. I know after forum'ing for a long time that when asking for anecdotes, opinions will also be forthcoming. Don't know why that particular comment gave me such a rash of rubbed-wrong-way-itis, or why I got snippy about it. Should have followed the proper procedure, close window, refrain from comment until I get over it.

Shear, that cracked me up, thanks! I know this is a weird idea, but was also thinking it's not so different from staking Delphiniums, Dahlias, Gladiolus. The more I think about it, the more it seems strange that there's almost a rule about NOT staking petunias when so many other plants would also be laying on the ground without intervention. Such a pretty thing, so hard to see as a sprawler on the ground unless it's a patch of several plants. (Speaking from the standpoint of the little, multi-pack plants.) In a hanging basket, the stems break often where they contact the rim of the pot, and can get heavy enough to split at the juncture with the main stem.

I haven't dabbled with the Cals much, most just look like little, faded petunias to me.

Here's mine... they really don't trail much. I've had them for about 3 months and they just do ~this.~

I love their stripes though... looks fake!

Why not give it a try and post progress pics? Pet's are cheap... your time is... cheap... LOL! (Kidding! Don't get all snippy! LMAO!)

I LOVE those!! That's about as big as any Petunia gets before I manage to kill it. Someone mentioned recently they had a similar pot to one of mine, was that you, with this pot? There's red Pentas in there also, dunno why I cut it off in this pic.

Hey, don't rub it in, I feel lame about it anyway. Is that snippy enough?

I recently told you we had similar plants combined in pots... but not specifically the same pots.

I get those pots (have several) at HD for $19.99

You feel lame about what? I LOVE having all this free time!!
See, yours is cheap...mine's downright free!

um, because i have such a tiny garden, i have a tendency to squeeze things in - invariably requiring huge amounts of discreet but endless supporting, just to stop the whole lot from collapsing outwards, suffocating each other. So, i resort to a variety of things such as those cheap round metal hanging baskets frames, small heaps of prunings or, my favourite when I can be bothered, a sort of lattice of loosely woven willow canes, pushed into archshapes directly into the soil so they make a kind of cloche/cage. The scrambling plants such as polemonium, bacopa, hardy geraniums are all grown through the cagework, all maintaining a neat upright mound instead of a collapsed pudding. The various supports are invisible yet do sterling duty supporting floppers and taming bullies.

Campanula~

Show us pics? It sounds awesome!

No doubt, I'd love to see that!

purpleinopp wrote:

Such a pretty thing, so hard to see as a sprawler on the ground unless it's a patch of several plants.

I had to respond to this because one year I put some sort of cascading petunias in one of my vegetable boxes and didn't bother to clean it out for winter. The next spring I was pulling toppled dead stalks out of the ground and came upon a surviving petunia from the previous year covered in blooms! It grew into a huge plant, sprawling everywhere, like a low-growing shrub, and was covered in blossoms all season. It was one of the most beautiful plants in memory. It died the following winter, but what a great sprawling heap of color! So, technically speaking, you could say that overwintering a plant that nobody overwinters is breaking an unwritten rule with the result being a wonderful surprise. But yeah, no way would you get that in a season from a cell pack transplant.