Subject: ?Seeds from Surfinias
From: "Barry & Iris McCanna"
Date: 21/08/03 20:51 Romance Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Pen Phill" wrote in message
...
Hi all

Surfinias over here in France are extremely popular but I have never
come
across seeds for them in packets. Plenty of Petunia and Petunia
Pendulant seeds
which I always grow, but no Petunia Surfinia seeds. It seems you can
only buy
the plant ready to pot and I buy and plant like everybody else but
this year
have decided to collect the seeds. Will these be fertile and if so
will they
produce the same colour flowers?

Also, we have an insect which rather resembles a large moth/bee that
hovers
like a humming bird darts about visiting almost every bloom and
sucks nectar
with a long probosis. It has a light brown furry body with white and
black
areas near the tail end and about 1 1/2" long. Hums quite loudly as
it flies.
Does anybody know its name please? TIA

Phil

Phil,

I too am in France. The insect you have seen is the Humming Bird Hawk
Moth and we have had so many this year, more than ever before. Today
there have been a lot amongst the phlox.

Someone can correct me, but I am pretty sure that you cannot grow
Surfinias from seed.

Iris McCanna

Thanks Iris

I have asked quite a few of my French friends what the insect was but none of
them seemed to know! You are right, there are lots of them about this year and
indeed of butterflies as well. Must be the "canicule" Re the Surfinia seeds, I
shall give them a try anyway next year. I just wondered if anyone knew.

Phil