This is the time of the year that families head back to the beach for a well-deserved vacation and The Garden Guy is certainly ready. That being said, let this be a segue to one of my favorites, Bermuda Beach, as one of the most loved Supertunia varieties has just clobbered the Holy Wow button!
I’ve been growing the new and improved Bermuda Beach as part of a trial program and simply can’t take my eyes off of it. I see one planter outside my sunroom window as I write this. The color has always been rare and with a pastel touch to me. Now the color literally pops with a new vibrance and saturation.
If Supertunia Bermuda Beach was rare in color before, it is now indescribable. We really need Pantone to tell us what we are looking at. I have two mixed hanging baskets at the end of my long driveway and you can spot them a mile away because of Bermuda Beach petunias
In my backyard planter I have it combined with Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo petunia, Diamond Snow euphorbia, Superbells Double Vintage Coral calibrachoa, which will also be new in 2024, and Graceful Grasses Queen Tut papyrus that is making its debt this year.
My yard, which is somewhat sun-challenged, often yields photographs that show flowers at their richest color points. The photos will show sunny flowers facing the camera and a deep shady background. I suppose I am lucky to have this natural studio-like combination.
Last week I went to the Young’s Plant Farm 2023 Annual Garden Tour in Auburn, Alabama. This is one of the premier trials in the country. Their raised bed garden trials have great soil composition and drip irrigation. It is, however, in a definitive full sun. By the end of the day, we are heat fatigued and drinking cold refreshments even though it is early June.
I was wondering if I would see Bermuda Beach looking pristine as it always has been at my house. The answer was a resounding yes, even as it tumbled over the edge of the raised bed almost touching the gravel walkway. It was a most shockingly wonderful rich coral/orange color.
There is one other aspect I haven’t told you about yet and that is the size of the flowers. They are huge, reaching up to three inches. I measured them against a lot of other of my petunias and they were the clear winners at The Garden Guy’s house. Sometimes large isn’t ideal on some annuals, but with Supertunia Bermuda Beach, there is no floppiness or droop.
After seeing an image of a Bermuda Skies hanging basket on the Garrison Farm & Garden Facebook page, I reached out to Carrie Garrison Owner and General Manager. This is a Proven Winners Destination Garden Center in Cornelia, Georgia. Bermuda Skies is a Recipe of the Year featuring Supertunia Bermuda Beach, Laguna Sky Blue lobelia and Superbells Yellow Chiffon calibrachoa.
Carrie Garrison said they grew their own baskets and that any improvements to Bermuda Beach would be improving on an already spectacular cultivar in the Proven Winners lineup. The photo shared shows they indeed know about growing baskets, there is just something special to The Garden Guy about those petunia blossoms in the photo.
While it is fun for horticultural writers like me to have fun with green industry speculations, I can tell you that whenever you see the new Supertunia Bermuda Beach petunia, get it, you will love it. It will reach about 12-inches tall with a spread up to 24-inches. Put it in your mixed containers and it will be the darling of your recipe.
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If you ever find yourself near Cornelia, Georgia, stop by Garrison Farm & Garden and see what I am talking about. Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.
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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)
(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)
