Alabama,
United States 
I have a hanging basket of small petunias. They're maybe 2in, I'm not sure what species they are, but my husband bought them for me at the end of spring. They have been growing Beautifully, I have kept them dead headed, pampered, water them as needed, "usually once to twice daily". Problem is now, they're looking pretty puny. I have taken clippings and started new baskets and they're doing Great! But I don't want to lose the beauty and luster of my original plant. What do I do? How do I save my petunia?
28 Jun, 2016
Answers
Thank you Bamboo!! I will definitely try it. I have cut it back and given it a haircut. But its just not looking very good, the flowers and leaves aren't even as vibrant as they once were. I feed it miracle grow plant food every 2 weeks along with my other plants. About a month ago it was so Full and had blooms Everywhere! I take the time, pull it down and dead head it daily. You can even see, the other pot has clippings from the same petunia that I restarted and its getting big and the colors are beautiful! I have gotten attached to my plants. They're like my babies too....
28 Jun, 2016
It's quite natural for the cuttings to be doing well and looking good, they're not old like the parent plant, but the parent might respond to being cut back hard, which should force new, stronger growth. If it doesn't, not much else you can do I'm afraid.
28 Jun, 2016
Are they getting enough sun?
2 Jul, 2016
Most parts of the world these are grown as annuals, but they are perennial in zones 9 to 11, though not necessarily long lived ones. Your original plant has got very leggy, so I suggest you cut the whole thing right back to an inch or two, fertilise, keep watered and see how well it regrows. If your climate's right, it should regrow into a bushy, healthy specimen.
28 Jun, 2016