Not Your Granny's Petunias

What I really wanted my topiary forsythia basket to hold this summer was a bouquet of those fancy, cascading petunias that have become so popular.

Alas, due to my self-imposed travel limitations, I never came across one. Imagine the thrill of finding just such a basket recently at the farm stand near City Hall! And such a pretty one! Each tiny blossom is a marvel of striated colors, in pink, orange and yellow.

When I was young (a long time ago) petunias were mostly purple. More recently, growers have created pinwheel varieties, a wide range of colors and the entrancing "wave" type that spills so gracefully out of containers.

I don't think I have the time or you have the patience to enjoy every single flower in pictures, but here's one close-up example.

Woo-hoo Mother Nature! Who knew there could be such a treasure in one basket!

--Bernice Paglia