How to Grow Petunia 'Double Pink'

Wikimedia Commons

Petunia 'Double Pink'

Petunia × hybrida 'Double Pink'

flower

Petunia 'Double Pink' is a hybrid petunia cultivar featuring fully double flowers in soft to vibrant pink tones with ruffled petals. These compact, bushy annuals produce abundant blooms throughout the growing season and are excellent for containers, borders, and landscape color. The double-flowered form creates a lush, full appearance that distinguishes it from single-petaled varieties.

When should you plant Petunia 'Double Pink' in your zone?

Get a personalized planting timeline — when to start seeds, transplant, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Free to start.

Get my Petunia 'Double Pink' timeline →

Example Petunia 'Double Pink' timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)

Plant Petunia 'Double Pink'
Around Apr 17

Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
Tend & protect
Late spring–summer

Watering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
First Petunia 'Double Pink' blooms
Around Jun 16

≈ 60 days after planting

Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Petunia 'Double Pink' dates for your own zip code.

Growing Conditions

☀️

Sun: Full sun, 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for best blooming; tolerates light afternoon shade in hot climates

💧

Water: Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply when top inch of soil is dry. Reduce watering slightly once established. Petunias are moderately drought-tolerant but flower best with regular moisture.

📏

Spacing: 12-18 inches

📅

Days to maturity: 60-80 days from seed to first bloom; 35-45 days from transplant to flowering

🌱

Planting depth: Press seeds onto soil surface; do not cover. Seeds need light to germinate. Transplants should be planted at the same depth they were growing.

Soil

Type: Well-draining loamy soil enriched with organic matter

pH: 6.0-6.8

Amendments:

Compost or aged bark mulch Perlite or coarse sand for drainage Balanced slow-release fertilizer

Growing Zones

Find your zone →

Best in zones 3-11; grown as an annual in cooler climates, and can persist as a tender perennial in zones 10-11

2a 2b 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b 11a 11b

Get my Petunia 'Double Pink' timeline →

Growth Stages

Seedling

3-4 weeks

Tiny seedlings with cotyledons emerge 7-14 days after sowing. First true leaves appear within 2-3 weeks.

Maintain high humidity and consistent moisture. Provide bright, indirect light. Keep soil temperature around 70-75°F. Avoid damping off by ensuring good air circulation.

Vegetative Growth

3-4 weeks

Young plants develop multiple leaf sets and become progressively bushier. Stem elongation occurs rapidly with healthy branching.

Pinch back growing tips when plants are 6 inches tall to encourage branching and fuller shape. Begin light fertilizing every 2 weeks with balanced fertilizer. Harden off before transplanting outdoors.

Budding & Early Flowering

2-3 weeks

Flower buds form at branch tips. First double pink blooms appear with characteristic ruffled petals. Plant continues vegetative growth alongside flowering.

Switch to higher phosphorus fertilizer to support flowering. Maintain consistent watering. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continued blooming. Ensure adequate sunlight for vibrant color.

Peak Flowering

8-12 weeks or until frost

Plant is covered with numerous double pink flowers. The ruffled, full blooms create a lush appearance. Continuous flowering continues through the season.

Deadhead consistently to maximize flower production. Feed every 2-3 weeks with bloom-promoting fertilizer. Monitor for pests and diseases. Water at soil level to keep foliage dry.

Decline & End of Season

2-4 weeks before frost

As temperatures drop or day length decreases, flowering slows. In frost zones, plants decline rapidly after first frost. In mild climates, growth may continue but at reduced vigor.

In zones 10-11, can be pruned back and overwintered for next season. In cooler zones, pull plants after first hard frost and compost.

Companion Planting

Plan your garden →

Plant with:

Calibrachoa Bacopa Dusty Miller Salvia Lantana Marigold Verbena Sweet Alyssum Vinca Geranium

Avoid planting near:

Fennel Dill Heavily competing tall plants that shade petunias

Common Pests

Spray with water to dislodge, use insecticidal soap, neem oil, or introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs. For severe infestations, use pyrethrin-based insecticides.
Increase humidity, spray with water regularly, apply neem oil or sulfur dust. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization which promotes mite populations.
Use yellow sticky traps to monitor and catch adults. Apply neem oil or insecticidal soap weekly. Remove heavily infested leaves.
Ensure good air circulation, avoid overhead watering, remove affected parts immediately. Apply fungicide if severe. Keep foliage dry.
Improve air circulation, avoid crowding, spray with sulfur or neem oil. Remove infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering.

Uses

🍳

Edible Flowers

Culinary

Petunia flowers are edible and can garnish salads, desserts, and beverages, adding a mild, slightly sweet flavor and vibrant pink color to culinary presentations. [source]

🏠

Container & Landscape Ornament

Household

Double Pink petunias are ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, planters, borders, and mass plantings, providing continuous color throughout the growing season. [source]

🏠

Cut Flower Arrangements

Household

The double pink ruffled blooms make attractive short-lived cut flowers for small bouquets and floral arrangements, though they have a relatively short vase life of 3-5 days. [source]

🦋

Pollinator Support

Wildlife

Although double-flowered varieties have reduced pollen and nectar due to fully doubled petals, they still attract butterflies and hummingbirds, contributing to pollinator habitat. [source]

🎨

Floral Crafts & Pressing

Craft

The attractive pink flowers can be pressed for use in dried floral crafts, bookmarks, and decorative projects, though they should be pressed quickly after cutting. [source]

Harvest Tips

Petunias are ornamental flowers; harvest by deadheading spent blooms at the base of the flower stem to encourage continued flowering. For seed saving (note: double-flowered varieties rarely produce viable seeds), allow some flowers to fade and develop seed pods, then collect seeds when pods dry.

Fun Facts

🌱 Petunia 'Double Pink' flowers have fully doubled petals due to the conversion of stamens into additional petals, resulting in little to no viable pollen or seed production, which means plants must be propagated from cuttings rather than seeds.
🌱 Petunias are native to South America and were first cultivated by the Tupi people of Brazil and Paraguay; the name 'petunia' comes from the Tupi word 'petun' meaning tobacco, as they are related to the tobacco plant.
🌱 The double pink variety is part of a large hybrid complex (Petunia × hybrida) created through centuries of selective breeding, combining traits from multiple Petunia species to create the diverse cultivars available today.

Gardening Terms

New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:

Annual Compost Cultivar Damping Off Deadhead Full Sun Hybrid pH Pinch Back Transplant True Leaves

Shop Petunia 'Double Pink' plants and related plants at Plant Addicts →

Join 30,000 gardeners planning their gardens with LizPlants.

Get your personalized Petunia 'Double Pink' planting timeline

Tell us your zip code and we'll calculate exactly when to start Petunia 'Double Pink' seeds, transplant seedlings, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Includes calendar reminders and printable task lists. Free to start.

Get my Petunia 'Double Pink' timeline →