Genus: Petunia
Species: hybrid
Series: Supertunia
Variety: Vista Bubblegum
Common Name: Petunia

What’s the difference between a Supertunia Vista Bubblegum and any other Supertunia? You can see my bubbles from a l-o-o-o-n-g way off. Vista, a distant view or prospect. Bubbles, bubblegum. Never mind. A Supertunia Vista is a Petunia. As in we’re way vigorous and have a mounding/cascading habit. So in a garden bed, border, or landscape feature we grow 16 – 24 inches tall, and spread w-a-a-y out. As much as 2 feet. You want to fill an area with wall-to-wall medium pink flowers all season? I’m your plant. Hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containers, same story.

You know what else is totally wicked? I’m disease resistant, self-cleaning, and have sturdy stems so I always look good. I’m an annual except in zones 10 – 11. Full sun, water and a good fertilizer will keep me in the pink until frost.

Growing Tips
Self-cleaning no deadheading necessary, this is not necessarily true of all Petunias.

Late July and August is when plants should be at their best, but there is only one problem: The plants have run out of energy and the gardeners realize it too late to help the plants recover. This is especially true in raised containers and hanging baskets. Here is the best way to keep your Petunias in the Super category.

1. When you buy them in the spring, buy a slow release fertilizer to top dress the basket or container. If you plant your own basket, incorporate some of the slow release fertilizer in the soil as you plant. Follow the package directions.

2. In May fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer once every two weeks. Mix up the fertilizer and water the plants just like you would if you were using clear water. It normally takes a good half of gallon of water
To really water a 10" wide basket or raised container.

3. In June as the weather starts to get warm to hot, fertilize weekly, again with a good soaking. If the weather turns really hot as it sometimes does in
Late June you may need to fertilize every third watering. By now the Supertunia is really growing and starting to tumble down from the basket or fill out across the flowerbed.

4. July is when the cutting back occurs. Around the 4th of July, (after your big party) get some of the slow release fertilizer that you bought in spring and re-apply across the top of the planter. At the same time, trim back
some of the longer branches just enough to bring the plant back in line with the bottom of the pot or basket. Don't remove too much at the maximum cut back 20% of the branches or 1 in five shoots. You can also just give it a general light trim. Your plant will be out of flower for a few days, but will come back stronger than ever. By now with July's heat you should be watering at least every other day and begin to fertilize every other watering. I know it sounds like a lot, but if you want a plant to grow like an elephant and be the most it can be, you got to feed it like an elephant!

5. August is, hot, humid, & sometimes with monsoons. Keep up the water and fertilizing, and again, if the plant starts to look straggly remove a few more branches but never more than 20% or give it a general trim as before.

6. It is September and the plants should still look good, start to back off the watering and the feed, but shape the basket with the last pruning of the season.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it really is a labor of love. I fertilize my baskets and my garden every time I water, and I water daily from mid July through August. I recently invested in the WaterWise irrigation system and let me tell you it really works. You will find that your Supertunias, along with all the rest of your plants will keep looking fantastic through September and perhaps with the luck of a gardener and a late frost maybe even into October.

Exposure
Full sun

Height
16-24"

Spacing
18-24"

Hardy Temp
30°F

Zone(s)
10

Uses
Use in large combinations and landscapes

Features
Vigorous, mounding plants are perfect landscape fillers; blooms all season; low maintenance

Awards Won
2010 - Top Performer
  -Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
2010 - Top Performers
  -Mast Arboretum
2010 - Top Performer
  -Powell Gardens
2010 - Very Good
  -Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank
2010 - Top Consumer Choice
  -Ohio State University - Columbus
2010 - Excellent
  -Disney
2009 - Gold Medal
  -Champaign County Illinois Master Gardener Idea Garden
2009 - Gold Medal
  -Champaign County Illinois Master Gardener Idea Garden
2009 - Honorable Mention
  -Texas A & M - East Texas Bedding Plant Trial
2009 - Top Performer
  -Mississippi State University
2009 - Best Performer
  -Sawaya Garden Trial
2009 - Best Performer
  -Colorado State University
2009 - Best Performer
  -Kansas State University
2009 - Best Performer
  -University of Tennessee - Jackson
2009 - Best Performer
  -University of Tennessee - Knoxville
2009 - Best Performer
  -Michigan State University
2009 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Morris
2009 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Grand Rapids
2009 - Leader of the Pack for Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2009 - Leader of the Pack - Late Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2009 - Leader of the Pack - Early Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2009 - Best of Breed - Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2009 - Gardener's Pick
  -South Coast Botanic Garden
2009 - Top Performer summer
  -Michigan State University
2009 - Top Performer - Late Summer
  -Michigan State University
2009 - Top Performer
  -University Laval
2009 - Best Friend Forever
  -Virginia Tech
2009 - Top Performer
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2009 - Top Performer
  -Kansas State University
2009 - Prairie Star
  -Kansas State University
2009 - Best Varieties
  -Penn State
2009 - Top Performer
  -Norfolk Botanical Garden
2009 - Excellent Rating
  -Boerner Botanical Garden
2009 - Top 20
  -Cornell University
2009 - Best-Looking Flowers
  -University of Delaware
2009 - People's Pick Honorable Mention
  -Oregon State University
2009 - Top Picks
  -BYU-Idaho, Thomas E. Ricks Demonstration Garden
2008 - Top Performer
  -Longwood Gardens
2008 - Excellent Rating
  -Boerner Botanical Garden
2008 - Top Peformer
  -Penn State
2008 - Top 10
  -Cornell University
2008 - Top Performer
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2008 - Top Performers - Foliage
  -University of Delaware
2008 - Top 10
  -Delaware Valley College, Henry Schmeider Arboretum
2008 - Best Overall Impression
  -Oregon State University
2008 - Most Consumer Appeal
  -Oregon State University
2008 - Top Performer
  -Oklahoma State University Botanical Gardens
2008 - Top Performer in Ground
  -Kansas State University
2008 - Top Performer in Ground
  -Colorado State University
2008 - Best of Trials
  -University of Florida
2008 - Silver Medal
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2008 - Top Performer
  -University of Georgia
2008 - Top Performer
  -Linnaeus Teaching Garden
2008 - Top Performer
  -University of Minnesota
2008 - Exceptional Rating
  -University of Georgia
2008 - Leader of the Pack Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2008 - Leader of the Pack Summer - Late Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2008 - Leader of the Pack Summer - Early Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2008 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota-St. Paul
2008 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Grand Rapids
2008 - Knock Your Socks Off
  -University of Georgia
2008 - Top Performer
  -Michigan State University
2008 - North Texas Winners Circle
  -Texas A & M - East Texas Bedding Plant Trial
2008 - Best Overall
  -Cornell University
2008 - Best Petunia
  -Cornell University
2008 - Top Performer
  -Oklahoma State University Botanical Gardens
2007 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Grand Rapids
2007 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota - Morris
2007 - Top 10
  -University of Minnesota-St. Paul
2007 - Top Rated Performer
  -City of Cedar Rapids
2007 - Best of Trials
  -University of Florida
2007 - Best In show
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2007 - Outstanding Performer
  -Texas A & M - East Texas Bedding Plant Trial
2007 - Top Performer
  -University Laval
2007 - Top Performer
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2007 - Top Performer
  -Longwood Gardens
2007 - Top 10
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2007 - Leader of the Pack Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2007 - Leader of the Pack Early Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2007 - Leader of the Pack Late Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2007 - Best Spreading Petunia
  -Colorado State University
2007 - Top Consumer Choice
  -Ohio State University - Columbus
2007 - Top Performer
  -Ohio State University - Columbus
2007 - Silver Medal
  -University of Illinois-Champaign County Master Gardeners
2007 - Best of Trials for Spring
  -University of Florida
2007 - Top Performer
  -Kansas State University
2007 - Prairie Star
  -Kansas State University
2007 - Best of the Zoo
  -Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
2007 - Top Performers
  -University of Minnesota
2006 - Top Performer
  -Michigan State University
2006 - Gold Medal
  -University of Illinois-Champaign County Master Gardeners
2006 - Best of the Best
  -University of Georgia
2006 - Gardeners Choice
  -University of Guelph
2006 - Top Performer
  -Jardin Daniel A. Seguin
2006 - Best Varieties
  -Colorado State University
2006 - Superior Variety
  -Penn State
2006 - Top 20
  -Missouri Botanic Garden
2005 - Top Performer
  -Missouri Botanic Garden
2005 - Best of Class
  -City of Cedar Rapids
2005 - Outstanding Rating
  -Disney
2005 - Top 10 Annuals
  -University of Minnesota - Morris
2005 - Outstanding Rating
  -Boerner Botanical Garden
2005 - Top Performer
  -Ohio State University - Columbus
2005 - Top Performer
  -University of Maine
2005 - Visitors Choice
  -Cornell University
2005 - Top Performer
  -University of Guelph
2005 - Top Performer
  -Colorado State University
2005 - Best of Show
  -Colorado State University
2005 - Best Petunia (Spreading)
  -Colorado State University
2005 - Best in Show
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2005 - Best New Variety
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2005 - Top 5 Performer
  -Ohio State University Extension - Springfield
2005 - 12 New Annuals
  -People, Places and Plants
2005 - Top 25
  -Cornell University
2005 - Top Performer
  -Turtle Bay
2005 - Top Performer
  -Oklahoma State University Botanical Gardens
2005 - Top Performer
  -Penn State
2005 - Top Performer
  -Kansas State University
2005 - Leader of the Pack Early Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2005 - Leader of the Pack Summer
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2005 - Leader of the Pack Late Season
  -North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum