Petunia

I took this photo of a beautiful Petunia flower at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 June 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift.

I often post a brightly coloured image when our weather is overcast or snowy. Yesterday evening, the forecast for today (12 April 2016) was mainly sunny. However, it is overcast this morning, so I'm glad I didn't plan a long drive for today. The temperature is 10°C and supposed to get up to 20°C this afternoon.

"Petunias are one of the most popular garden bedding flowers. They have wide trumpet shaped flowers and branching foliage that is hairy and somewhat sticky. Petunias are prolific bloomers, although some forms require deadheading to keep them going. However most varieties will bloom throughout the summer, except in extreme heat. You can now find petunias in just about every color but true blue and with growing habits that mound in borders or trail down containers.

Petunias are annual flowering plants, native to Argentina. Within the petunia family there is great variety: single and double blooms, ruffled or smooth petals, striped, veined or solid colors, mounding and cascading habits and even some fragrance. Most of the petunias sold today are hybrids, developed for specific design purposes."

gardening.about.com/od/plantprofiles/a/Petunias.htm