Growing petunias on the balcony is so worth it. Easy to care for and they bloom profusely, filling a whole pot with flowers.

Speaking of the recent hot weather, it's really outrageous. I went out yesterday and came back with heat-induced mouth ulcers. Standing outside with an umbrella was like being in an oven, watching sweat drip onto the ground and quickly dried by the scorching sun. Under such harsh conditions, the flowers are really facing a huge challenge. The leaves of the pelargoniums turned from green to yellow and then to white, the impatiens curled up and got powdery mildew and red spider mites, struggling on the brink of death after spraying, and the violets and kalanchoes also went dormant. Only the petunias are still blooming boldly against all odds!

In May I traveled for 10 days and left all the flowers at home to my husband. Besides reminding him repeatedly before leaving, I also asked for details with concern during our daily phone calls. Fortunately, most of them were still alive when I returned, except one pelargonium that started to rot at the top and two pots of impatiens that got red spider mites. I've already pinched the tops off those and don't know if they'll survive.

However, the Mirage petunias that were still at the seedling stage when I left - my husband didn't pinch off the side branches, so they all grew deformed with no hope of restoring their shape. As for the Peacock petunias, I had been pinching off flower buds daily before I left, and of course my husband didn't know to do that. By the time I returned, quite a few had already bloomed. Luckily they have naturally good branching, so let them bloom. The only consolation is the jasmine. I pruned it before leaving, and when I returned it had already produced many second-round flower buds and was growing lushly, which shows it's really easy to grow.

The photos were taken at different times. Let me go in chronological order. The first floor shows how things looked before I left.

The long planter hanging on the railing and the red clay pot next to it are both pink morning glory cuttings.

Cuttings - they had somewhat decent shape at the seedling stage, but once they bloomed they lost all form.

After getting home, I found that this one had deteriorated after 10 days.

Let me share more photos of the tough petunias. It's truly not easy for them~

I really love this white Peacock petunia. It looks so refreshing in summer.

I find the pink morning glory's shape hard to control. It trails down quickly and easily goes bald on top. For cuttings that bloomed like this, I'm already satisfied.

The hardworking straight petunia that I gave a buzz cut to on the morning before I left is about to burst into bloom again.

The double petunia - my husband didn't pinch or cut the branches, so it grew into a ridiculous shape beyond saving.

This red Peacock petunia is quite special - a crimson red.

It's a Peacock petunia, a mini petunia I guess. The flowers aren't very large, but the branching is naturally good. I like it.

The small double petunias in several colors mixed together in one long planter are blooming a bit larger than their first flowers and starting to take shape. So fresh and lovely.

In summer, with only half a day of sunlight and temperatures too high, they bloom while still very small, so it's hard for them to form a ball shape.