Superbena^® Whiteout^™ Verbena, Superbells^® Blue Moon Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells^® Cherry Red Calibrachoa & Salvia

Over a Thousand Reasons To Put the Supertunias, Superbells and Superbenas Together

While working on this project 1340 was the number I counted. That number is the total accumulation of awards won by ‘The Supers’, Supertunia petunia, Superbells calibrachoa and Superbena verbenas.

That is a huge number and what I find funny is that some of my favorites, those that I would put in the category of GOAT (Greatest of All Time), don’t have the first award. As a former University Horticulture Specialist, overseeing the Mississippi Medallion Award, I can understand this, we simply could not trial everything.   

These three divisions, Supertunia petunias, Superbells calibrachoas and Superbena verbenas deserve to be together. Together they will create award-winning mixed containers, baskets and boxes just like Acapulco Sun, the Recipe of the Year.

To The Garden Guy this is where the real gardening fun begins. Picking out the color scheme you want to work with, planting the container and bringing it into full bloom. Once you realize the Supers are among the best at bringing in bees, butterflies and hummingbirds you know you must have them.

Proven Winners recipes are a good place to start getting combination ideas, though you have to admit they have achieved perfection in their photography.  The photos from The Garden Guy shows what happens in the real world and what you can expect with your own artistically designed containers.

I grow the Supers for the most part in containers with really good potting soil. Some of the containers are large and hard for me to pick up, and some are small. Choosing a good soil mix in a container that drains freely allows each of the super divisional champs, Supertunias, Superbells and Superbenas to find happiness together even if they might have some minor idiosyncrasies.

There is a little issue that is to be celebrated and to me why these are champion plants. One of the reasons you can’t see the pots is that some of these plants give a perennial performance in my zone 8a Georgia garden. The last few years I have had Superbena verbena, Superbells calibrachoa and Supertunias all for the most part return in the spring.   

This year was different in that this was the first time in decades that I protected plants and containers. During the December Arctic blast, we saw temps of 11, 16, 17, 22 and 28 on consecutive nights and stayed below freezing for days. I decided I would move them once, and for 5 nights. They were then put back into place in the backyard and have been there ever since. They have received several high 20’s in January and February.

The plants are already covering the containers and starting to send first blooms of Superbenas, and Superbells while the Supertunias are growing like crazy. I’ve got plants ordered and will retool and refresh as needed. In the meantime, it’s nice to know that each container has a divisional champ or two, maybe even three in it. It is fun to watch on a daily basis to see which blooms are next. 

This colorful corner features a large container full of Superbells Yellow improved calibrachoa, Supertunia Persimmon petunia, Superbena Royale Chambray verbena and Superbena Whiteout verbena while Superbells Pomegranate Punch calibrachoa is seen in the distance.

Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia and Superbells Grape Punch calibrachoa come together to create a container that features many gardeners favorite colors.