I used to spend forty dollars at the garden center every May on real petunias that were brown and crispy by mid-July no matter how much I watered them. These arrived in May, sat through full afternoon sun, two summer storms, and a heat wave, and a full year later they still look like the day I unboxed them. Same bright purple. No watering. No replacing. Done.

Tip: order at least two stems per pot. One on its own looks sparse, two fills it out properly. Everything arrives pressed flat from the box, so take a few minutes to gently shape the wire stems and fluff up the petals with your fingers.

I'm 67 and I should have bought these years ago. I used to spend $150 every spring at the garden center on real petunias that were dead by August. These came in May, sat through the worst Pennsylvania summer in years, hailed on, snowed on all winter, and they still look like the day I opened them. One purchase, done.
Tip for new buyers: fluff the petals with your fingers when you take them out, and bend the stems into a natural shape. If you want them to look perfect, hold them about a foot above the steam from a tea kettle for thirty seconds. They open right up and look like they were picked that morning.

I want to save other ladies some money on shipping. I ordered just one stem for my front porch planter because I thought it would be enough. When it arrived and I put it in the pot looked half-empty. The flowers themselves are gorgeous, no complaint there, but one stem just doesn't have the volume to fill out a standard size planter. I ended up ordering a second one and now my pot looks lush and full, exactly like the picture on the website. My advice to anyone reading this is buy at least two from the start. You'll save on the second shipping charge and your planter will look right the day it arrives.

I've gardened my whole life and after my second knee replacement my daughter convinced me to try these. I was so against fake flowers, I thought they would look tacky like the ones at the dollar store. These are different. The petals have actual variation in color and they move a little in the wind. My neighbor asked where I bought my "new annuals." I did not tell her. For the best look, it is a good idea to steam them briefly.

After losing three rounds of real petunias to the heat this year I finally gave up and ordered these. My husband laughed at me but they honestly look better than my real ones did. From the porch you cannot tell. I have them in the two urns by the front door and the mailman actually commented on them last week. For someone like me who used to spend every Saturday morning at the garden center, this feels like cheating in the best way.