During the free Golden Afternoons program at 1 p.m. next Tuesday, April 8 in the Deane Center lobby at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, the men and women attending will each plant one petunia plug in a 4.5-inch square black plastic flower pot to take home.

Anyone who is 55 years of age or older is welcome to participate. Free refreshments will be provided, including cookies and coffee or tea.

Different varieties of petunias to plant have been donated by Leister Sunny Acres on Route 287 in Delmar Township, near Wellsboro. They include: Danziger Capella™ Pink Lace, Burgundy and Mulberry, fast-growing, sun loving petunias that produce large showy flowers on top of green foliage, that blooms throughout the season and is perfect for pots and hanging baskets; Dummen Summer Surprise – Hot Pink, early-flowering hot pink blossoms, height: 8-12 inches, spread: 18-24 inches, grows up and out, creating a waterfall or ripple effect depending on basket or garden application; Syngenta Dekko™ Maxx™  – Pink, this exciting new launch received a prestigious All-America Selections (AAS) Regional Award. Its vibrant pink, non-fading flowers held up extremely well to heavy rains and inclement weather and its smaller flower size and low spreading habit deliver outstanding durability, high impact color and coverage for landscape use. It grows to 24-36” wide and 8-12” high; Proven Winners – Supertunia Vista® colors: Snowdrift™ features stunning, pure white flowers that bloom from spring to frost, and Bubblegum™ flaunts bubblegum pink petals adorned with soft ruffles and striking hot pink veining. Supertunia Vista® petunias are very vigorous, with mounding habits that can reach up to 2 feet in height in the landscape and will trail over the edges of baskets and containers up to 4 feet by the end of the season. They are disease-resistant and self-cleaning, making it easy to care for them; Proven Winners – Supertunia® Picasso In Purple™ has bicolor purple flowers with mint green edges, is a strong grower and blooms all season without deadheading, Hoopla® Vivid Orchid™ has purple flowers with a bright white edge and are produced abundantly on well-branched plants from spring into fall without deadheading and Bordeaux™ has light purple and dark purple two-toned petals and is perfect for hanging baskets, window boxes, combination planters and even the front of the landscape border. 

Yolie Canales of Wellsboro is donating 4.5-inch deep square black plastic flower pots and preparing them in advance with moisturized soil and fertilizer in which Golden Afternoons participants will each plant a petunia plug to grow at home. For 15 years, Canales and her husband ran Tioga Nursery, growing plants and flowers as a business in greenhouses on their property in Charleston Township on Route 6, just outside of Wellsboro. 

Canales will talk about how much to water and fertilize a petunia plug as it grows along with other gardening tips, such as when to replant the flowers in an outdoor pot or hanging basket.

For more information about this Golden Afternoons program call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220.