Frost Damaged Petunia?

[kicksave]

I live in Atlanta, and despite living here for 15 years (and KNOWING the last frost is always later than you think...), I planted hundreds of petunia in my flower beds in nice, manure-rich beds, but didn't get a chance to put mulch around them. That very night a cold front blew through and temps dropped. It was above freezing most of the night, but the temps were 30F for about 2 hours before sunrise.

When I awoke, the petunia looked fine--just a light layer of frost on all of them. But when I got home that evening, all of the blooms had wilted. I put mulch around them and pinched each of the wilted blooms and hoped for the best.

It's now been 2 weeks of 60-75F temperatures, and the petunia still haven't bloomed again. The leaves are a nice, deep green and the plants themselves aren't wilted, but each little bud that appears turns brown and shrivels before ever opening into a bloom.

Has the frost permanently damaged these plants? Do I need to rip them out and start over? Or can I expect some blooms in a few weeks once the plant has a chance to completely renew all of the buds?

[Doug Kanter]

Your petunias are fine. Here (upstate NY, zone 5, where summer runs from July 7th to July 11th), petunias take an awful beating from the weather. I've had them survive multiple frost attacks in late October, and stick around until November when they finally give up.

[betsyb]

I have Petunias in hanging pots that have come back for the last four years in a row. Nothing was done after the blooming season. They just keep coming back. Betsy in Central NJ

[sockiescat]

When I awoke, the petunia looked fine--just a light layer of frost on all of them. But when I got home that evening, all of the blooms had wilted. I put mulch around them and pinched each of the wilted blooms and hoped for the best.

It's now been 2 weeks of 60-75F temperatures, and the petunia still haven't bloomed again. The leaves are a nice, deep green and th plants themselves aren't wilted, but each little bud that appears turn brown and shrivels before ever opening into a bloom.

Has the frost permanently damaged these plants? Do I need to rip them out and start over? Or can I expect some blooms in a few weeks onc the plant has a chance to completely renew all of the buds?

Your petunias are fine. Here (upstate NY, zone 5, where summer run from July 7th to July 11th), petunias take an awful beating from th weather. I've had them survive multiple frost attacks in late October, an stick around until November when they finally give up.

it sucks when u go through so much work for that to happen:(. normally dont grow petunias but i have had on my tomato plants. i don know if this will help if it ever happens again but as long as the su hasnt hit your plants take your garden hose and give them a wash off. heard that from another gardener many years back and it worked for me just thought i would share this with u. it sounds like your petunia are going to be fine just going to take them time to flower again. hav a great day. cyaaaaaa, sockiescat

-- sockiescat

[Doug Kanter]

Look at it this way: If the flowers hadn't been damaged by frost, they still would've gotten old & shriveled, and been replaced by new flowers.