Summer Fresh with Petunias

‘Supertunia Bermuda Beach’

Petunias epitomize summer fresh like nothing else. We begin the summer with fresh crops of Summer Petunias, started later with the specific goal to grow Petunias better suited for the season. A Summer Petunia is well-timed for the season because the plant is still in its growth stage. It settles happily into whatever project it’s planted in, and thrives through summer because the Petunia is in the prime of its life, not on extended support.

‘Easy Wave Yellow’

GROWING A GOOD SUMMER PETUNIA

A Summer Petunia is a different creature because not all Petunias are made to last for the season. By their nature, Petunias flower, go to seed and quit. Vegetative Petunias get around this problem with sterile flowers, which encourage the plant to bloom and try again—the very best varieties bloom constantly rather than in waves, as long as they are fed. All these flowers make for very hungry plants, so a regular fertilizer regime is recommended.

‘Supertunia White’

OUR SUMMER PETUNIA PROGRAM

For Petunia work in the summer we turn to the Supertunia from Proven Winners. If a spreading or trailing variety is needed, we go with the Wave Petunia—probably the best Petunia on the market for the long, trailing look. In both cases, the breeders have delivered on genetics for years:

• Strong color coverage over the top and around the sides
• Rock solid consistency from crop to crop, regardless of the seasonal weather
• Very similar habit in the cool of the spring and the warm of the summer
• Supplied in the important key colors

Both are well-known names with deep histories in the Petunias, and their position in the market is well-earned. For us, their habit of re-investing and improving their breeding lines over the years keeps us growing these two lines. The Petunia of today is not the Petunia of a decade ago, and we are better for it.

Vista Mix

THE BIG SUMMER PETUNIA

If you want to grow a BIG Summer Petunia, we are also supplying Supertunia Vista Mix. Vista is the key word here. It is a sub-brand of Proven Winners and applies to their tetraploidal Petunias. These plants, when fed aggressively, can turn out big monster blooms that get the ohhs and ahhs from the public. Even in a standard hanger with standard feedings, Vistas have impressive floral displays.

‘Supertunia Morning Glory Charm’

THE NEW SUMMER PETUNIA

Of course, we would not be Diefenbacher if we weren’t tinkering with something new. A different Petunia we are trying is ‘Supertunia Morning Glory Charm’, a deeply purple variety. Pulling out our Proven Winners decoder book, we find that Charm is the key word—it means the habit mounds like regular Petunias but also has trailing edges like the spreaders.

In this case, the breeder is hoping to fill both the filler and spiller roles with a single plant. Denser branching at the core helps accomplish this trick, as the crown naturally plumps up in the center. Flower size is much smaller than the usual Petunia, giving it a different look—going for color coverage more than individual showmanship.

‘Supertunia Mini Blue Veined’

THE UNDERAPPRECIATED ONE

Lastly, we must point out an overlooked summer treasure, ‘Supertunia Mini Blue Veined’. Here the signature feature is not the Mini in the name, but the beautiful nature of its trailing habit, flowing down with elegant blue-veined flowers. It's not a spectacularly different feature for Petunias, but this cultivar happens to do it very well.

‘Easy Wave Red’