Scientists conjure world’s first black petunia plant
By IANSThursday, November 25, 2010
LONDON - British gardens will soon go a shade darker as horticulturists have developed the world’s first black petunia plant.
The dramatic new flowers, named Black Velvet, were developed using natural breeding techniques to turn them into a dark black colour and will be on sale at a premium price of 2-3 pounds per plant.
The rare plants, which have taken four years to perfect, are due to blossom in British gardens for the first time next spring.
Petunias are extremely common and popular bedding plants and grow in borders, containers and hanging baskets during the spring and summer months, reports the Daily Mail.
They were developed by flower breeding company Ball Colegrave and will be going on sale for the first time in British garden centres.
Stuart Lowen from Ball Colegrave in Banbury said: “It’s completely unique. It’s the first black petunia anywhere in the world.”
“They say black goes with anything, and it really looks exceptionally striking in the garden - it goes very well with whites, yellows and pinks,” Lowen added.
Flower breeder Jianping Ren developed the new plants at Ball Colegrave.
“The black colour did not exist in petunias before, so it has to come from the right recombination of a novel colour mutant and multiple regular colour genetic backgrounds,” she said.
